Love is a Privilege
by Neurosthedream
Summary: Ziva has been working at NCIS for three months now. Kate was still killed by Ari but that thing is she left behind a husband, Tony, and a daughter. How will Tony and their daughter cope with all of this? Who will help put Tony back together? Eventual TIVA but also flashbacks of TATE. It is better than it sounds please give it a try.
1. We Need You

**[A/N Here is this story I hope you like it. If you did please review and let me know. So, that I know if I should continue this story or not. Please enjoy.]**

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**

**Chapter 1: We need you!**

Tony awoke with a beading sweat, his heart pounding, and breathing heavily. He turned to his left expecting to find the women he loved sleeping next to him but unfortunately his nightmares had not been just nightmares. They had actually happened right before his eyes. That bastard Ari Haswari had killed his partner, best friend, and most importantly his wife, Kate.

Tony sat there trying to calm himself down for what seemed like ages. Lost in his own world thinking about his beloved Kate; thinking of the way he felt whenever she touched him, the way her hair smelled of coconut, and how easily he could make her smile. Before he knew it he was crying, he smiled bitter sweetly and spoke into the darkness. "I miss you Katie."

His thoughts were interrupted by the pitter-patter of little feet entering the bedroom. The little feet approached Tony's side of the bed. "Daddy I schweep wif you?" Isabella, Tony and Kate's three-year-old daughter, asked.

"Of course pumpkin." Tony leaned over the side and pulled his daughter onto the bed. Instantly she curled to his side. "Get some rest because tomorrow we have to go say bye to mommy." Tony tried his best to keep his cool but the tears escaped him. He sat there crying, soothing his daughter to sleep, remembering back to the first time Isabella had wondered into their bedroom.

_It was thundering, lighting, and even hailing. Tony and Kate were both sound asleep oblivious to the storm outside their bedroom window. Unfortunately Isabella had hated thunderstorms ever since she was born. The thunder awoke her to a startling jolt. She hugged her favorite bear, Mr. snuggles, that her mother had given her the day she was born, and tried to go back to sleep. But the thunder continued and she continued to get more frighten by each thunder that sounded. She needed her parents but she was stuck in a crib and didn't know how to get out. Another thunder sounded and she jumped. Nope she definitely wanted her parents now. More determined than ever she climbed over the crib bar and shimmied down it. She ran as fast as her little chubby feet could take her into her parent's bed._

_She walked over to her mother's side tapping her gently until Kate stirred. "Mmmh," Kate murmered unsure of what was going on._

"_Mama, scawy noise." And as if to confirm what Isabella was saying thunder roared through their bedroom. Isabella jumped at the noise and tears started to fall. _

_Kate still half asleep picked up her daughter and placed her to the left of her. Isabella curled up to her mom "love you mommy."_

_"I love you sweetie." Kate tightened her hold on Isabella and fell asleep. Isabella's head was against Kate's chest allowing the beating of heart to lull her to sleep. _

_The next morning Tony awoke with his two-year-old daughters feet in his face. He swore that when he had gone to sleep he had fallen asleep spooning his beautiful wife Kate. But now she was on the far end of her side and he had feet in his face. He laughed internally no matter what he couldn't complain he loved his life and he didn't care how many times he would wake up with feet in his face as long as when he woke up Kate would always be in the bed lying next to him. Kate awoke too and caught sight of Tony staring at him. "Hey," she whispered. _

_"Hey," and they just lay there staring. Of course Kate blushed as Tony stared at her but she loved it. "I love you don't ever forget that." _

_"I love you too." She smiled and they leaned over to kiss one another. _

"I love you Kate please don't ever forget that." Tony whispered as he looked over to the empty side of the bed that belonged to Kate.

He kissed his daughter on the forehead and attempted to go to sleep. But sleep tonight would not come. Tony found himself staring at the ceiling thinking back to yesterday and the many things he could have done differently. She was pregnant he thought. Three months pregnant. He should have made her stay in the building. Gibbs should have made her stay. Dammit why didn't he make her stay? She was pregnant therefore should have not allowed into fieldwork. She should have been bounded to her desk doing deskwork. If only he had forced her and she had listened. If he had made her stay maybe she would be there lying next to him in bed instead of on one of Ducky's autopsy table.

Thinking of this once again started up the tears. It should of been him not her. She didn't deserve this and let alone the baby she was carrying. Tony couldn't take just laying there so he got out of bed and headed to his living room. He needed to blow off some steam. He was upset and furious more than anything. But he couldn't just leave. His daughter was in the other room and he needed him to be strong for her.

But he couldn't handle being here. Everywhere he went reminded him of Kate, the bedroom, the living even the bathroom. Kate's stuff was still here but she wasn't. It was like her presence still lingered taunting him. He couldn't handle it any longer. He went back to his room and dialed the one person he knew would help.

"Abby? I'm sorry to wake you but I was wondering if you could come over." Tony was desperate to get some fresh air. He felt like he was suffocating.

"Thank you Abbs." He slammed his phone shut and ran a hand through his hair as he headed back to his room. He grabbed some sweats and a shirt so he would be ready as soon as Abby arrived.

But when he opened his T-shirt drawer he found a picture hidden underneath some of his shirts. He picked it up and went to go sit on the edge of the bed. He started at the picture. It was of him and a four month pregnant Kate. Tony was standing behind Kate with his arms wrapped around her and his hands were at the bottom of her baby bump. Kate leaned against him and placed her hands on top of Tony's. He just continued to stare at it remembering this exact day.

_Kate's parents had been on a cruise for the past three months and had not yet known that their youngest child was expecting a child of her own._

_"Call them, their plane landed hours ago." Tony pushed the phone towards Kate. _

_But just as Kate took the phone and was about to call her parents there was a knock on the door. "Call I'll get it." Kate continued to dial her parents and call them. _

_Tony went over to answer the door. But was not expecting the two people who were standing on the other side of the door. He opened the door curiously. The two that stood in front of him where none other than Adrian and Clarissa Todd. They stood there smiling and waving cheerfully._

_"Hello Anthony," Kate's dad greeted him. _

_"Hello Mr. Todd." Tony still referred to Kate's dad as Mr. Todd seeing as they hadn't been married that long. _

_"Please call me Adrian." The man shook Tony's hand and saw himself in going over to his daughter. _

_Thankfully for Kate she had barely started showing and she had been wearing one of Tony's college sweatshirts in which her baby bump wasn't that noticeable under it. Her dad wrapped her in a hug but still hadn't noticed. But her mom had still not seen her and nothing managed to get past her. She held her breath as her mom spotted her after hugging Tony and came over to her. She took Kate in a hug but didn't seem to notice. "Hi mom how was the cruise?" She started up a conversation to distract her mother in case she had noticed. _

_"It was well darling thank you. Your father and I really enjoyed it. We saw lots of Europe." She smiled. She had really enjoyed the Christmas gift that Tony and Kate had gifted them. "How have you been?" _

_That was the signal. It was now or never thought Kate. She didn't know why she was so nervous to tell her parents that she was pregnant. Maybe it was because her and Tony had only been married for a couple of months and together for little over a year. But nonetheless she was nervous. Tony noticed her hesitation and took her hand offering his moral support. "Mom, dad we have something to tell you." She paused a moment before continuing. Her parents just starred at them hoping to God that nothing was wrong. "I'm pregnant." Kate blurted out wanting to get it over with once and for all._

_Kate's mother was the first to react she jumped over to the couple and gave them a hug. "That's wonderful news darling. How far along are you?" _

_"Four months," Kate smiled. She hadn't known why she had been so nervous. She knew her parents would be excited no matter what or at least her mother would. _

_"Are you starting to show?" Her mother asked. Kate nodded and lifted the sweatshirt she was wearing. Kate's mother gushed and placed her hand on the bump. _

_As Clarissa, Kate's mother, gushed over Kate's belly Adrian, Kate's father, walked over and congratulated Tony. Then once Clarissa finished gushing Adrian walked over and congratulated his daughter not as emotionally and enthusiastically as her mother had done. _

_Later that day all four took a walk in the park. It was still very cold as it was January but they all wanted to take a walk. Tony and Kate stopped when they reached the pond that was still frozen and stood there watching. What were they watching he didn't remember? But they stood there, Kate leaning against Tony's chest wrapped in his arms, just like they were in the picture, when Clarissa came over with her cellphone and snapped a picture of them. Saying that they looked adorable and that deserved a picture. _

Abby's knock snapped Tony back from his bittersweet memories. He placed the picture on his nightstand and then went over to answer the door. "Hey," Tony answered.

Abby noticed his broken appearance and took him into a hug. "I miss her Abbs. I miss her." Tony cried to her.

Abby just hugged him tighter. "I know Tony. We all miss her." She allowed him to cry on his shoulder. When he finally settled down she spoke once again. "So what did you need me for?"

Remembering why he had called her. He grabbed his sweater. "Can you stay with Isabella for a while? I need to get out of here. Being here is suffocating."

"Sure take all the time you need no worries." She tried to give him a smile but he didn't seem to notice.

Tony gave her a hug in appreciation. "She's in my room asleep. She shouldn't wake up but in case she does just lay with her please." Abby nodded and Tony headed out the door.

He got in his car and started his engine but he didn't move. He didn't know where to go all he knew was he needed to get out of his apartment. He put the car in drive and drove.

He continued to drive not sure where he was headed. The whole time he had been driving in autopilot so he didn't expect to end up where he did. He got out of his car, went through security, up the elevator, to another, and down again. The whole time his body was on autopilot. He wasn't really thinking of what he was doing. He continued on walking through the sliding doors, to the body freezers, and then opened the middle one in the second row. He was presented with Kate. Kate's pale, dull, cold lifeless body. He didn't know why he had drove all the way over to NCIS and gone down to autopsy but he had and now he was staring at Kate's body begging her to please wake up.

"Kate, please wake up, please. I need you. Your daughter needs you. We need you. Please Kate come back to me." He sobbed into his hands. "I love you Kate. I should have saved you. You shouldn't have been up there. If only I had made you stay. I'm sorry Kate I'm so so sorry." He continued to sob oblivious to the world around him. So oblivious that he didn't hear the automatic doors open, a woman walk across and place a hand on his shoulder.

He looked up and noticed a woman standing next to him. The same woman that had joined team Gibbs about three months ago. The weird exotic Israeli chick that didn't quite always get American idioms right but made it up in her kick ass ninja skills. "Ziva what are you still doing here?"

"I was finishing up paperwork when I heard someone come in but then disappeared down to autopsy." But Tony didn't seem to have pay attention he just couldn't to stare at Kate's body.

"Why did she have to die Ziva why?" Tony continued to ask this question repeatedly.

"I do not know and I am truly sorry that it has happened." Tony placed his hand over the one Ziva had on his shoulder.

"I can tell you one thing that bastard Ari Haswari will pay for what he did." Tony's demeanor changed from sad to angry.

"But you do not know for sure that it was him. I do not believe that he would do such a thing." Tony turned around to face her. He knew that was her brother but he would just not listen to her defending him. His wife was dead because of him and he wouldn't just let him get away that easily, he wouldn't.

"I know he is your brother and you feel a moral obligation to protect him but I know it was him. He has had it in for Kate ever since he held Ducky, Kate and Gerald hostage. So yes I do believe that he was the one that shot her." Tony continued to sob and Ziva didn't say anything afterwards. She knew lose and she knew it made people do things they would regret. So she allowed him to take his anger out on her and her brother.

She stood there trying her best to comfort him. She too knew Kate. She was a good agent and starting to become a good friend. But Kate was Tony's wife and she couldn't begin to comprehend the amount of pain that caused someone. The only thing she could do was offer him her emotional support. "Come on I will drive you home."

"No I'm staying. I want to stay. You can go if you like." Tony shrugged away from Ziva's hold.

"You need to go home be well rested for tomorrow. Your daughter will need you to be strong for her at the funeral. She will not be able to do this on her own." Ziva regretted the words she spoke as soon as they came out. Tony cried at the one word he managed to hear, funeral.

He continued to stare at Kate's body. "I can't do this alone. How am I going to survive without her? Her daughter and I need her. I can't do this I just can't. I can't be strong for my daughter the way she needs me to be. I can't even stand to look at her because every time I see her I see Kate and it just kills me. I can't do this if I can barely manage to stare at my daughter."

"You can and you will." Ziva tried to encourage him but he didn't seem to listen he just continued to stare.

"I can't. Not alone. Kate was always the one that reassured me. She's the one that told me I could do it when I was freaking out that I was going to be a father. She always made me feel like I could conquer the world as long as she was with me. But now she's gone and that feeling has vanished I can't do this alone. I just can't." Once he managed to stop sobbing he asked. "Will you come with me and stay until the funeral?" He really hoped she would say yes because he needed some moral support and knew that out of all of them she would be the one to understand the best.

"If you allow me to drive you home right now I will stay yes." Tony nodded and allowed for Ziva to drive him home.

When they walked through the door they noticed Abby on the couch with a sleeping Isabella. Abby turned and noticed them standing there. "Ziva what are you doing here?" Abby asked. Ziva was not on Abby's friendly list yet and she didn't trust the woman. She was very suspicious of her ever since she joined the agency.

"I ran upon Tony at work and I did not think he was in any condition to drive home." Ziva explained.

"Ran into but okay." Abby stared at Ziva suspiciously. She didn't think that her intentions were pure. She knew there was something else underneath it all.

"Thank you Abby for watching Isabella. Go home and get some rest Ziva is going to stay and help." Tony smiled weakly.

Abby got up and grabbed her stuff. "No problem. I will see you tomorrow. Get some rest." She ordered Tony and walked out eyeing Ziva suspiciously.

"Go get some sleep you will need It. I will put Isabella to bed." Ziva ordered Tony.

"Thank you Ziva." He thanked her as he dragged himself into his room.

Ziva walked over to the couch to carry Isabella back to her bed. Once she did she went over to the couch to catch some sleep herself. But that did not last long as she was awoken by the screams and cries of a little girl. She waited a few minutes to see if Tony was going to wake up and take care of it but he never did. So she got up and made her way over to Isabella's room.

She was sat up in her bed crying. Ziva's heart broke for this girl. She too had lost her mother at a young age and knew it was devastating for a child to lose a parent. Ziva approached the bed and sat down. "What's wrong tateleh?" Ziva spoke gently and used the pet name she used with her sister Tali.

"I want my mommy Ziva." The little girl cried out.

"Your mommy is not here." Ziva felt very uncomfortable how was she going to make a child understand that her mother would no longer come back.

"Daddy say she is in heaven." Ziva nodded. "I miss my mommy. Can you call her and tell her to come home?"

"I know you do tateleh. But heaven is very far away and once you go to heaven you cannot leave." Ziva ran a hand through Isabella's hair.

"Why my mommy no leave?" Isabella asked. She was at that age where she would question everything.

"Because they are angels and God needs them so that they can watch over people. Now come on get some rest." Ziva continued to run her hand through Isabella's hair.

"Will you lie with me until I fall asleep?" Isabella asked sleepily.

Ziva nodded and Isabella lay back down. She scooted over in her bed and patted the spot next to her. Ziva lay were Isabella pointed. Isabella scooted over so that she was cuddled up against Ziva. Ziva put her arms around the little girl and she seemed to cuddle more. "Layla tov"

"Layla tov," she replied through a yawn. Her pronunciation was perfect. Often when Kate or Tony asked her to watch Isabella she would teach her Hebrew and she was getting quite good at it. If she continued she would be fluent within the year.

The following morning Tony was awoken by the alarm. Surprisingly enough he had been able to get a few hours of sleep. Out of habit he turned to his side and expected to find Kate lying there but she wasn't and it all came flooding back. He wasn't in any moods to get up and do anything. But he knew he had to. He had to be strong for his daughter. So, he got up threw on a shirt and got out of bed. He walked out to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. He would need all the extra energy he could get. It would be the only thing that would get him through the day.

When he walked into his daughter's room he stopped at the sight. He had not expected Ziva and his daughter to be cuddled up together. He assumed Isabella must up woken up and Ziva had gone to comfort her. They looked so peaceful he didn't want to wake them. But he needed to if they were going to be ready on time.

He walked over and gently shook her awake. "Ziva, Ziva wake up."

"Hmmm," she mumbled as she stirred. But when she noticed that a little girl was lying next to her. She tried to not move as much.

"You must of fallen asleep here." Tony pointed out.

"I was sleeping on the couch and Isabella started crying. You did not wake up so I went and she asked me to stay until she feel asleep and I must have fallen asleep as well." Ziva defended herself. She didn't want him thinking she had intruded.

"It's okay. Don't worry. We need to start getting ready. Would you mind waking her up and getting her ready while I make some breakfast."

Ziva nodded. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." He played it off. He didn't want what occurred last night to happen again today. He knew later he would be bad enough. He walked out of the room before he was asked any more questions.

Ziva was left to wake up Isabella. She sat on the edge of bed and started to run her hand through the girl's hair and rub her back. "Tateleh, it is time to wake up."

"Scheepy," she stirred and turn to go back to sleep.

"Come on tateleh you need to go up. We have a big day today." But she wouldn't budge.

After spending twenty minutes trying to wake up Isabella she finally got her up and dressed. All that was left was her hair. She left it down but French braided the bang area. Once she was ready dressed in a navy blue dress, because Tony didn't want his daughter in black, they went to have breakfast.

Breakfast was very quiet Tony wasn't in much of a talking mood and Ziva didn't know what to say. Isabella refused to talk as she too could feel the gloominess in the mood.

It went by quickly too quickly for his liking. He was dreading going to the funeral. Going to the funeral and seeing the casket would make things all too real. It would make them have to officially accept that Kate was dead that see would no longer come back. If Tony had not watched Kate get shot he could have sworn that she was on vacation or a mission without them but no she wasn't. She was dead and today they were going to say goodbye for the last time. He wasn't ready or strong enough for this.

Ziva could sense the struggle Tony was in and the confusion in Isabella's eyes. She was too young to grasp what was truly going on. It had happened all too suddenly. She had no warning. Her mother wasn't sick. She had just been taken away. She knew after today that she would understand that her mother wasn't coming back and that would break her heart.

Ziva took Tony's hand in a supporting manner. "I am here if you need me."

He nodded thankful that she constantly wasn't asking him how he felt or how he was because she knew loss. She understood pain and the best thing anyone could do was just be there and that was exactly what she was doing.

**Please review!**


	2. It's Time to Say Goodbye

**[A/N Thank you for all the reviews, follows, and favorites. They helped me update sooner. Please keep reviewing and I will keep updating.]**

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**

**Previously on Love is a privilege:**

Ziva could sense the struggle Tony was in and the confusion in Isabella's eyes. She was too young to grasp what was truly going on. It had happened all too suddenly. She had no warning. Her mother wasn't sick. She had just been taken away. She knew after today that she would understand that her mother wasn't coming back and that would break her heart.

Ziva took Tony's hand in a supporting manner. "I am here if you need me."

He nodded thankful that she constantly wasn't asking him how he felt or how he was because she knew loss. She understood pain and the best thing anyone could do was just be there and that was exactly what she was doing.

**Chapter 2: It's time to say goodbye**

Once they had left the apartment Tony had forgotten that his car was still at NCIS. So he had no other choice but to drive with Ziva. Actually it had turned out to be a better idea because he was in no conditions to drive. There was no way he would have made it there himself without getting in a single accident. His mind kept going back to Kate. There was no way he would get through today alone. There was just no way.

"Tony, tony we are here." Ziva had tried for five minutes to get Tony's attention but he was off in his own world.

"Huh?" He reacted.

"We are here." Ziva repeated for the billionth time.

"Oh," Tony replied glumly. He stared at the church. It was small, private and the perfect match for Kate. She would have loved it. She was such a private person. Even when they got together she still liked keeping things from him.

Ziva placed her hand on Tony's thigh. "I am here if you need me."

Tony nodded and got out of the car. He went to the back and took out Isabella. She went to him and willingly. He gave her a weak smile, a hug that was more out of necessity than anything else, and a very long kiss on her temple. He knew this was hard for him but he couldn't imagine being Isabella's age and having to go through what she had. It wasn't fair for kids to lose a parent. It just wasn't. He too had lost his mom and his dad had not done anything to help. He refused to be like his father. He would be there for Isabella. He would be strong and help her through this.

He sets her down after one last kiss and holds her hand. All three walk towards the church with Ziva trailing behind to allow them some space. As they get towards the church everyone is waiting outside staring at them. They just stand there staring not saying a single word. They don't know how to react around Tony. It's like walking on eggshells he could explode on them any second.

Ziva stays outside not knowing if she should follow him or not. She knew if he needed her he would let her know. So she decides it's best to stay with the others as he and Isabella continue on in walking past all of the people without any eye contact. Not even acknowledging their presence.

At the outside of the church the pastor greets him. Offering his condolences and all the nonsense one is supposed to say when found in these situations. Tony just stares at him and the man is found in an awkward position. So instead he goes with hand shaking.

Tony on autopilot does the same. It's like he is not in control of his body sort of like a dream he's living it but he's not in control of himself. Almost like an out of body experience. After their greeting he is led inside. But when he comes up to the big wooden doors of the church he stops. He knows that once inside he would come face to face with his reality and he wasn't quite ready for that. So he stops and takes a deep breath. But he starts to feel woozy and almost collapses.

Ziva who never took her eyes off of him noticed and took off running. She removed Isabella's hand from Tony's because if not he would take him down with her and stabilized him.

He takes another breath and ensures Ziva that he is fine. She is reluctant to let go but once he gives her the best smile he could manage she let's go but doesn't leave his side. Tony again takes Isabella's hand and smiled at her to ensure her that he's okay.

They continue into the church and Ziva takes a seat. Tony and Isabella on the other hand continue on to the front to where the casket is surrounded by flowers. Seeing Kate lying so still inside that casket was so overwhelming. His throat constricted and he felt like he was choking. It was all so real to him now. Kate wasn't coming back. Not even by some miracle. Nothing would ever bring back his Katie pie and he couldn't bare to think that. But seeing that medal around her neck awarded for Presidential Medal of Freedom. They stand there frozen as the church begins to fill with guests. All is silent except for the gentle sobs of Isabella.

Tony turns to look at her and the image he sees broke his heart more than seeing Kate inside of the casket. Isabella had tears streaming down her face as she stretched her hand and placed it in the casket. "Mommy, wake up, please mommy" she cried as she stared into the open casket of her mother. Tony had spent explaining to her that her mommy was now an angel in heaven and that she would be watching them from heaven. She hadn't quite grasped it but seeing her mom sleeping in the casket hit her all too hard.

Tony could not bare to see her like this so he pulls her back towards the seats. But she refuses to move. She has bolted her feet to the ground and stood as still as a statue. Tony kept pulling her but she didn't budge. "No daddy we no leave mommy." He couldn't bare it any longer. He picked up Isabella and pulled her back to the benches to join Ziva. But as soon as he takes her from the casket she begins to cry harder. "No mean daddy no I stay with mommy. Me no leave mommy." She cried. Tony brought her up to his chest so he could hug her hoping that would settle her down. But she continued to pound against his chest until she became hysterical and cried against his chest resting her head there.

That was the last straw and tony completely lost it. He couldn't hold back the tears and continued to cry himself. How was he supposed to help his daughter through this when he couldn't even control himself. He approaches the benches and sits next to Ziva. Not knowing what to do she places her hand on his lap. With Isabella curled up in his chest crying he places his forehead on Ziva's shoulder and begins to cry. "Why? Oh God why?" Ziva feeling a bit uncomfortable places her hand on his back and rubs it knowing perfectly well that no words would help him at this moment it would only make matters worse.

Once everyone got settled in the priest begins to speak. Tony raises his head from Ziva's shoulder but takes her hand. "We are here to today to not only say goodbye but to remember Caitlin DiNozzo, mother, wife, daughter, friend and agent. Let us pray." They all bow their heads and listened along as they continue to pray. A prayer that was perfect in every way possible for Kate. "I would like to ask up Anthony DiNozzo husband of the deceased to say a few words on the behave of his beloved wife."

Ziva gives his hand a tight squeeze and he stands handing Isabella over to her. She doesn't want to let go of her dad. But after a promise that she could say something about her mom she goes to Ziva willingly. She sets her on her lap an automatically goes back to he curled position of burying her face in Ziva's chest. Ziva hugs her and rubs her back. "Breath, Tony, remember to breath."

Tony noticed that even breathing once an involuntarily movement now required all of his attention. If he didn't pay attention or force himself to take a breath he would completely stop breathing. So he took a couple of deep breathes and continue to walk slowly up to the podium. He is shaking uncontrollably. Trying to hold back tears and take deep breathes just long enough so that he could make it through his speech. He fumbles for his cue cards, clear his throat takes one last breath and starts. "My beloved Kate, the mother of our beautiful daughter, mu outstanding wife, I know you are still here watching over us everyday, I miss you." Already this was proving to be too much for him and he couldn't keep the tears from spilling. "I miss the way you had a know it all personality, the way you could get your way out of any of any argument in a flash, how you always seemed to win all of our arguments. I remember how you would sit at your desk and stare at one of the team members and create your beautiful artwork. You my Kate were so determined and amazing at your agent job but especially at being a wife and a mother. You made our lives complete. With you at my side I felt like I could conquer the world. We will miss you dearly. Throughout several occasions when I wasn't being the jerk you knew me to be before we got together you told me you wanted more than anything to find love and start a family. Let me tell you that i found that love with you and only hope that you felt as I did being at your side. I love you Caitlin Samantha DiNozzo you are my Katie pie and I will never forget you." Tony got off that podium trembling and with tears streaming down his face. As promised he allowed his daughter to speak and Ziva brought her up. Tony carried her and brought her closer to the microphone.

"Mommy daddy says that you are now an angel in heaven. I no want you to be an angel I want you to come home. I miss you and luv you very much mommy. Please come back." Isabella cried the entire time, as did the guest. Tony knew it wouldn't be right to allow her to speak but if it helped her cope then by all means he would allow her to do it.

They went to go sit back down again taking their spot next to Ziva. The priest got back up and asked if anyone else would like to speak. Gibbs got up and approached the podium. "My beloved agent Todd you were one of the best damn agents I had ever had. You strived and worked to prove to everyone that you could do just a good of a job if not better than the men. You never took no for an answer and always fought for what you wanted. You were never a rule breaker but the one rule you broke you did for love it is because of you two that rule twelve sometimes is meant to be broken. It took me a while to understand but after the first time I saw you two together I understood that not even my rule twelve would keep you apart."

_It was one of those cases that required them to spend their entire weekend at NCIS. Tony had planned a romantic dinner with Kate and didn't want to miss it. But unfortunately they were working the case and weren't allowed to leave. What was worse was no one knew about their ongoing relationship and it made it that much harder to hide it at work. _

_They would sneak in a kiss now and then when no one was watching but that was as far as it went. Now was one of those moments. Gibbs had gone on a coffee run and McGee had gone down to Abby's lab to help here with some video footage. So that just left Tony and Kate alone in the squad room. Seeing as they had missed their reservations and weren't going to make them tony decided to make the best of it. He went over to Kate's desk and pulled up at chair. He sat and took her hand. She really wasn't doing anything besides a couple of sketches. He stared at her drawing a picture of the both of them. He stared and stared until she realized that they were at work and holding hands. "Tony what if Gibbs catches us." _

_"He went for a coffee run. It should be a while." He continued to hold her hand never letting go. He also managed to sneak a kiss before she protested. But thankfully she didn't and he kissed her again. _

_They sat there with Kate sketching Tony holding her left hand and staring as she drew. Admiring her beauty. The way her lips twisted as she concentrated in getting every detail perfect. Kate looked up and caught sight of him staring. She starred back and leaned in to give him a kiss. "I thought you were afraid of Gibbs finding out?" Tony asked Kate jokingly. _

_"I just really wanted to kiss my magnificent boyfriend." Tony smiled and leaned for another. _

_That's when Gibbs came in. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator he saw it all the romantic starring, the kissing, and the calling of the word boyfriend. He wanted to go over there and head slap DiNozzo reminding him there was a rule about this. But as he saw them carrying on, each doing his own thing but still holding hands he knew it was inevitable. They were made for one another. So, he waited in the elevator until he knew he had given them enough time to act like nothing was going on. When he approached the squad room he yelled. "Status report DiNozzo," giving them warning of his presence. _

_They quickly straightened up and began bickering. "Tony, leave me alone. You're so childish." _

_"Lighten up Kate. Having some fun won't kill you." Tony replied as he grabbed his chair and brought it back to his desk. But Gibbs didn't miss the smile and stare they gave one another as they did this. It was a show for Gibbs. But knew that even when they bickered like children it was because they were so madly in love with one another. So Gibbs just sat at his desk and smiled. _

"We will miss you dearly Kate and I'm truly sorry." Gibbs nodded and got off the podium heading back to his seat. This proved to be too much for tony all the wonderful words and the memories. He couldn't bare to keep remembering them. But knew he had to because that was all he had left of Kate.

Tony looked around the church searching for Kate's parents. Hoping that maybe they had changed their mind and decided to show. But they hadn't. As he looked around he took in his surrounding. Everything he had missed early when everything was numb, the world a blur and the words were mumbles. All around the church there were yellow roses and orange tulips from Martha's Garden, Kate's favorite flowers and floral shop, soft music was playing and you could tell from the windows that it was drizzling. Tony smiled he knew from what Kate told him once that in Catholic beliefs if it rained on a funeral it meant someone was being accepted into heaven. This made Tony happy; knowing that she was going to be somewhere beautiful for all eternity.

The preacher came back up to the podium and asked if there were any more speakers. No one said a word so he proceeded. "The time has come to say your final goodbyes. If you would each come up one by one." And so everyone went up one by one allowing tony to go last to give him the chance to say goodbye. When it was his turn he came up with Isabella in his arms hiding in his chest as she cried. "I love you Kate and I always will." He just stood there. No words were needed to express the love he felt towards his wife.

Again the preacher came onto the podium to announce that it was time to take the casket to its burial sight. Kate's three brothers approached, Gibbs and McGee. They were going to carry the casket to the cemetery. Tony got up to allow them to take the casket but Isabella jumped out of Tony's arm and held on to the casket not wanting to let go. "No daddy I stay wif mommy. I stay."

Tony pulled Isabella. He didn't have the strength to deal with it not when he was grieving as well. "Come on Bella we have to go. It's time to say goodbye to mommy."

"No I no wanna leave mommy. I wan mommy." She cried and her cries were carried throughout the church and everyone stopped to stare. These girl's cries for her mom broke everyone's hearts.

Tony didn't want to make a scene but he also didn't know what to do with himself but to just break down and cry himself. But he couldn't not when his daughter needed him. But he couldn't stop them. So he let go of her and ran out the church to catch his breath. On his way out he passed a worried Ziva. He put his hand on her forearm and choked out. "Watch her please," and he continued to run out of the church.

Ziva walked up to the casket and sat next to Isabella where she was. The priest was getting impatient and needed to remove the casket. Ziva kneeled down and started to play with Isabella's hair. "Tateleh can you come with me? These men need to move the casket."

Isabella turned to look at Ziva with red puffy eyes full of tears. "I miss mommy Ziva. I no want her to leave."

This truly broke Ziva's heart. All this girl wanted was for her mother to return was it truly too much to ask. Apparently it was. "I know tateleh but your mom has gone to heaven and is needed there."

Isabella threw herself at Ziva crying even more. Ziva wrapped her arms around her and picked her up. She said some soothing words in Hebrew and walked out of the church. She looked around for Tony but couldn't find him so she went back to the car.

Tony was there already in the passenger seat staring out the window. His eyes were red and puffy also full of tears while his eyes expressed sadness and grief. Ziva tried to put Isabella down in the back seat but she wouldn't let go of Ziva. "I have to drive tateleh."

"No Ziva no leave me too." She cried. At this Tony reacted. He got out of his seat and went to the driver's side.

"I'll drive." He announced.

"Are you sure?" Ziva asked a bit worried. He was in no conditions to drive.

"Yeah just stay with her in the backseat." Ziva nodded and got back in. The whole car ride was silent. Not a single word had been spoken. When they arrived to the cemetery Ziva noticed that Isabella had been asleep.

"Tony Bella is asleep." Ziva moved her a bit so that she wasn't so crooked.

Tony turned so that he was staring at Ziva. "Would you mind staying with her in the car? I didn't want her watching them burying the casket anyways because that would just confuse her a bit more."

"Yes," Ziva replied. Tony got out of the car and headed over to where everyone was gathered.

He got there when everyone was in prayer. So he made his way to the front and stood there. Then one by one everyone dropped a single flower onto the casket and then would pass Tony putting a hand on his shoulder or his forearm and gave him their condolences. Tony had to hold from screaming at everyone because that was exactly what he wanted to do was scream. He didn't want their empty words he wanted Kate back.

They lowered the casket into the ground and Tony threw in the first shovel of dirt after that the workers put in the rest. Slowly the guest started to leave until it was only he staring at Kate's headstone. It read beloved wife and mother. May you forever be in our hearts.

He stood there sobbing. He just couldn't believe this was it Kate was actually dead, dead because Ari Haswari the bastard shot her all because of his sweet revenge onto Gibbs. His wife didn't deserve to die. She had done nothing but protect her country and he should have done the same but with her. He should have protected her better. He should have made her stay. Then he wouldn't be here. He would be at home dealing with morning sickness and raging hormones. At the time he would have hated it and felt like he was in hell. But now what he wouldn't do to have an emotional raging Kate screaming at him. That this was all thanks to his stupid penis. But no she was 3 feet underground with the child they would never see be born, grow, say its first words, walk, go to school or make a life for itself. To Tony he felt like his life was over. But every time he stared into the car and saw Ziva holding his daughter he remembered that he had to live because of her. She needed him now more than ever. He couldn't afford to allow his health to deteriorate because then she truly would be an orphan. No he had to be strong. But how could he when it hurt to breath, when he felt like he was suffocating and the world had no meaning. Like it wasn't worth living. But it was because of that precious miracle sleeping in that car.

He sat for what seemed like hours, an emotional wreck, until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He thought it was Ziva. "Give me a second Ziva."

"DiNozzo you need to go home." Tony turned and looked at his boss like a lost puppy. "Go home get some rest."

"I need to stay for a bit more boss." Tony begged.

But Gibbs too understood loss. He had lost his wife and daughter. Tony still had his daughter and she needed him. "It's time DiNozzo. It's time to say your goodbye and go home to get some rest."

Tony knew there was no arguing with his boss. "Yes boss." Tony got up from where he had been kneeling and headed for Ziva's car. Gibbs followed to ensure that he in fact went to the car.

"Ziva take them home and ensure that he gets some rest." Gibbs ordered.

"Yes Gibbs." Ziva nodded trying to not to move and wake a sleeping Isabella.

Tony got in the drivers seat so that he wouldn't disturb Isabella and drove of staring back in his rear view mirror. Leaving behind a part of him, a part of his soul. Leaving behind the woman he ever loved, his soul mate. He continued to stare as they drove farther away leaving behind all of it until they were so far he could no longer see Kate's headstone. He whispered his last goodbyes, "I love you Kate" and drove off to start his new life without the one person who made it worth living. That thought alone shattered his heart into a million pieces.

**I hope you enjoyed and please dont forget to review. **


	3. I won't accept it

**[A/N Thank you for all of your reviews, follows, and favorites. I would like to especially thank gereeny13 your review made my day. Please keep reviewing because I would like to keep updating. Now I have a request to make. I need someone to edit my chapter. Not really edit as much as make sure my characters aren't too far fetched and filter the ideas. If you are interested please PM me. The person who does this will get to read the chapters way before they are uploaded and will be mentioned in my authors note for your awesome contributions. I'll stop rambling now so that you can enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review]**

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS**

**Previously on Love is a Privilege:**

Tony got in the drivers seat so that he wouldn't disturb Isabella and drove off. Staring back in his rear view mirror. Leaving behind a part of him a part of his soul. Leaving behind the woman he ever loved, his soul mate. He continued to stare as they drove farther away leaving behind all of it until thy were so far he could no longer see Kate's headstone. He whispered his last goodbyes, "I love you Kate" and drove off to start his new life without the one person who made it worth living. That thought alone shattered his heart into a million pieces.

**Chapter three: I won't accept it**

By some miracle this morning Tony had managed to wake up, get dressed, dress his daughter and feed her some breakfast. Ziva came over to pick them up and drive them to NCIS since his car was still there. The director had given him time off but he had gone back to work after the first day because it had been too much to be home alone. He would just spend all day thinking about Kate and the accident. So, he thought it would be better if he went to work at least there there were people who could distract them.

What made matters worse was that Ziva was moving in to Kate's desk. It was only fair that she did to be closer to the team. But watching her pack up Kate's stuff and put in hers was just another punch in the gut. He would no longer be able to stare ahead and be meet by his wife's gorgeous hazel eyes. Once she packed up all of Kate's belongings she brought them over to Tony. He just grabbed the box, threw it on the floor and kicked it over to his filing cabinet. But when he did her sketchbook fell out and out of curiosity he picked it up. He started flipping through. There were a lot of pictures of him, Isabella, and some of the team as well.

Isabella looked up from her drawing and starred intently from her dads lap at the sketches. "That pwetty. Who drew that?" That was the most Isabella had spoken since the funeral yesterday.

Tony didn't look up from the sketches. "Your mommy. She was really good huh?" Isabella nodded. He smiled weakly and continued to flip through them. That was the most Tony had spoken as well. If someone asked him any questions he would respond with one worded questions.

At a sketch of Kate hugging a younger Isabella she put a hand on her dads wrist and stopped him from flipping to another one. "That me wif mommy?" Tony nodded. "Can I have it?" Again Tony nodded.

_Isabella was ten months old and the babysitter had called in sick. Tony and Kate had no other choice but to bring her in with them. It was Saturday and they wouldn't be able to find another in time. So they brought her in and left her with Abby while they went to a crime scene. _

_When they got back, Abby had told them that Isabella was on the verge of walking. "I would have never forgiven myself if she started walking and we weren't here." Kate said as she picked up her daughter and blew in her stomach. "Will you walk for mommy gorgeous girl?" _

_Abby just smiled at the happy family. "Kate you make a wonderful mom."_

_"Mama," Isabella pointed to Kate. _

_"That's right sweetheart I'm your mama. Are you gonna walk for me?" Kate spoke softly. She put Isabella down on the floor and hoped she would walk._

_"No!" Isabella exclaimed saying her favorite word. She plumped on the floor and started crawling to the door. _

_Kate sighed and went to pick her up. "I guess you just want to be stubborn like father."_

_"Dada!" Isabella exclaimed pointing towards the elevators. _

_"Will you walk for dada?" Kate asked hoping she would walk for him. _

_"No!" she pouted again. _

_Kate laughed. "I'll see you later Abby. Thank you for watching her." _

_Kate headed up the elevator and joined the rest of the team in the squad room. Now that they had caught their culprit they had paperwork to fill out. Kate went to her desk and sat down placing Isabella on her lap. "Abby said she almost walked."_

_"I'm glad she didn't. I want to be there to watch her take her first steps." Tony looked over at Isabella. "You hear that pumpkin you do not have daddy's permission to walk without mommy and me there." _

_"No!" Isabella exclaimed again pounding her tiny fist on Kate's desk. McGee just snickered as he finished up his paperwork so he could go on his date. _

_"Not a word probie." Tony warned. McGee continued to choke on snickers as he tried to stop them. _

_Isabella started to get restless sitting in Kate's lap and began to wiggle around trying to get out of Kate's lap. "Hold on sweet pea mommy is almost finished." Kate was almost done with her last report. But Isabella would not stop wiggling. Kate laughed at her hyper activeness, picked her up and placed her on the floor. Kate joined her as well in case she took of crawling and ended up in autopsy. As soon as Kate put Isabella down she took of like speedy Gonzalez towards Gibbs's desk. She propped herself up with the help of his desk and stood there for a few seconds. She fell but that didn't stop her from trying again. She propped herself up again and this time managed to keep her balance. She placed one foot forward but she wobbled as she managed to keep her balance. Kate noticed this and immediately turned around. "That's it come to mommy, come to mommy." Isabella took another step and Kate kept encouraging. "Tony she's walking!"_

_Tony dropped his paperwork, almost tripping over his desk chair and ran over to stand next to Kate. "That's it sweet pea." Kate was an emotional wreck tears streaming down her face. "Come on. Tony she's walking our little girl is walking." Tony quickly ran back to his desk to get his phone. He snapped some pictures and got it on video. Isabella made it all the way over to her mother's arms and collapsed into them. Kate took her in a hug. "You did it, you walked." Tony snapped a picture of the two in their congratulatory hug. He knew this was a big moment for all of them. They were going to have to accept that their baby girl was growing up. _

_Isabella shrieked and clapped her hands. "Wok!" _

_"Yeah you walked. Who is mommy's big girl?" Kate asked as the tears continued to fall down her cheeks. _

_"Bella," she squealed and pointed to herself. _

_"You know Abby isn't going to forgive us that she missed this." Kate chuckled as she cleaned the tears from her face. _

_"I got it on video." Tony, the proud father he wa,s boasted. He went over to McGee. "Did you see it probie? She walked!" _

_"I did Tony but you seem more excited than she is." McGee joked. _

_Tony stuck his tongue out and walked over to Gibbs desk. "Did ya see boss?" Tony said in the same excited tone he had told McGee in. _

_"Yes I saw DiNozzo now go finish your paperwork so that you can go home." Gibbs ordered. That was his way of expressing he cared by allowing Tony to go home and spend time with his family. _

_"Yes boss," Tony ran back to his desk and started to work on his paperwork. _

_"I'm going to go down to see Abby." Kate announced as she headed for the elevator. _

Tony smiled as he remembered that day. "This was the first day you walked. Mommy and I were so proud of you." Tony felt the tears threatening to spill but he wouldn't allow them to.

But Isabella hadn't been as lucky her tears started to spill immediately. "I draw the same piture." Tony left the sketchpad opened on that picture and placed it in front of his daughter. No matter how much staring at that picture caused him pain he would leave it there if it made his daughter happy.

Tony went back to his paperwork so that it would distract him from the picture of Kate. Isabella on the other hand went straight to drawing. She definitely had inherited her mother's artistic abilities and the picture was coming out beautifully. It wasn't exactly like Kate's but still way better than what most people could do. You could tell one was a baby and the other was Kate. When she finished she held it up so that Tony could see. "Daddy you like?"

"It's very pretty just like mommy's." Tony smiled weakly that was all he could muster these past few days.

"Really?" Isabella asked excitedly. Tony nodded. Excited her picture was the same as her moms Isabella jumped off her fathers lap and walked over to the desk that now pertained to Ziva. "Can you hang this? She asked Ziva as she handed it to her.

"What are you doing sweetie?" Tony asked his daughter.

"Hanging the piture on mommy's desk so she can have it when she gets back."

Tony's heart broke. It always made his pain worse having to explain to his daughter over and over again that her mother wasn't coming back. "Bella, we talked about this your mommy isn't coming back and that desk belongs to Ziva now." The rest of the team tried to busy themselves so it didn't look like they staring. But really they had been. They were all so worried for Tony.

"No daddy! This is mommy's desk." She turned to Ziva. "This my mommy's desk." She cried out. Tony mouthed his apology to Ziva. She smiled at him telling him it was perfectly fine.

Ziva picked her up and sat her on her lap. "Tateleh remember I told you that your mommy needed to stay in heaven because God needs her to be an angel?" Isabella nodded. "Since your mommy is in heaven she does not need her desk so I am watching it for her. Is that okay?" Again Francesca nodded. "Now give me your beautiful picture and I will hang it here."

Francesca handed her the picture and thanked Ziva. "Todah rabba Ziva. Do you think my mommy can see her picture from heaven."

"I think she is watching over us, yes." That answered seemed to please her and she smiled. Ziva wiped away Isabella's tears.

The phone rang and Tony answered it "DiNozzo?"

"Good afternoon Mr. DiNozzo I was calling from Martha's Garden to confirm the order of two dozens roses to be delivered for the day after tomorrow." There was a long pause. Tony didn't respond he just sat there holding the phone. "Sir, are you still there?"

Tony's face turned red he knew the tears were coming. He just had to hold them in long enough to answer and run to the roof. "Uh yes sorry. Yes the order is correct. Thank you." Tony hung up the phone and instantly regretted what he had said. Why had he told the man to send the roses? There was no use for them anymore. Why oh why? As soon as hung up Tony took off running for the staircase and made his way to the rooftop. There he blew off steam.

Ziva noticed Tony's change in demeanor when he had finished with the phone call. She left Isabella in her chair, ask McGee to watch her, and took off running after Tony. When she reached the rooftop, knowing that was Tony's favorite hideout place, she approached him slowly so as to not startle him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and sat down next to him. No words were needed and they were definitely not wanted. Just by her look Tony could tell that she was there for him.

Tony just couldn't take it anymore. Keeping everything in and putting up a front was too exhausting he needed to get everything off his chest. "The florist called saying if they were still going to deliver two dozen roses. With everything going on I forgot that our anniversary is in two days. Every year I've gotten Kate flowers from her favorite florist. I told the guy to send them. I just couldn't say no. I don't want her to be gone. I won't accept it." Tony continued to sob. Ziva just rubbed his back not really knowing what to do. He leaned his head on her shoulder and cried. He cried until he couldn't cry any longer. They didn't know how long they had been sitting there. All Tony knew was that he felt better. It was such a relief that he was able to get everything off of his chest.

Ziva spoke first the first time breaking the lasting silence. "We should get back before Gibbs head slaps the both of us." Tony nodded and they headed back down to the squad room.

When they got back to the squad room Gibbs had a furious look on his face. He came up behind Tony and head slapped him. "Boss?"

"DiNozzo your daughter has been worried sick about you. That and she is hungry. We understand that this is a very difficult time for you. Trust me I get that but you can't be selfish about it. You have a daughter you need to care for. Talk to her DiNozzo because I guarantee she feels the same if not worse than you. Now go take her to lunch before I fire you."

"Understood boss." Tony turned around looking for his daughter. He gave Gibbs a questioning look.

"Upstairs with Jenny I didn't want her to be here when I bit your head off." Tony nodded and ran up to the director's office. Once Tony was out of earshot Gibbs went over to Ziva. "Go with him make sure he eats something as well."

"Yes Gibbs," Ziva answered and went to join Tony.

Lunch had thankfully been a bit of a distraction. Tony had suggested they go to a new place where he had never gone with Kate. Ziva understood why and had stopped at a sandwich shop off the navy yard.

When they got back Tony went straight to his desk and got back to work. He sat Isabella back on his lap and let her to continue drawing. Isabella kept wiggling and fussing. She was now bored and tired of drawing. She hopped of her fathers lap and went to McGee's desk and bother him. "Uncle Gee what's that?" She kept asking McGee what everything on his desk was and what it did and after she had run out of things. She hoped onto his lap and stared at his computer monitor. "What are you doing?"

"I am trying I get past the FBIs firewall so that I can access some files. But there are Trojans that are making it difficult for me." McGee said excitedly. He loved speaking all about this.

Isabella looked at him like what. "I no stand Geek speak uncle Gee."

"That's my girl." Tony praised her.

Everyone else just rolled their eyes at Tony and chuckled at Isabella's comment. "I'm playing a game." He went simple this time.

"Oh," now that she was bored with McGee. She moved on to Gibbs desk. She stood by his desk. "Hi grandpa Gibbs."

"Hi munchkin. What are you doing here?" He stopped his work and looked at her.

"I bored. Can I sit wif you?" She stood on her tiptoes and looked onto his desk.

Gibbs nodded and picked her up and sat her on his lap. "Grandpa?"

"Hmm?" Gibbs asked.

"Did you know mommy used to protect the president?" She said randomly.

"I did that's where I meet your mommy for the first time on Air Force 1. She was protecting the president and your daddy and I had to catch a bad man on the plane." Gibbs explained.

"Is that where daddy and mommy feel love?" She asked.

"I would think so. Even though they didn't know it yet. They are a bit stubborn." Gibbs tickled Isabella to get her to smile a bit.

"No grandpa that tickles. Stop grandpa." She laughed and tried to wiggle out of Gibbs hold.

"Munchkin you should smile more. I just love that smile of yours it reminds me of your moms." Gibbs tried to cheer the girl up.

"I miss mommy grandpa. It makes me sad an I no wanna smile." She said glumly.

"I know you miss your mom but I think she would like to see you smile more." Gibbs cupped her chin. Isabella nodded and exaggerated her smile to make him smile.

She jumped of his lap and went visit her next victim, Ziva. She went straight ahead and jumped on her lap not bothering to ask her if she could. "Can we have nother Hebrew lesson?"

"Ken," Ziva said yes. She went through her desk and grabbed some paper and pencils. "What would you like to start with?"

"Animals," Isabella said.

"Okay I will write them on paper so you can see how it is written and then I will pronounce it." Ziva explained. Ziva wrote down דג. "This is fish it is pronounced dagh."

"Dagh," Isabella repeated.

"Yes perfect." Ziva praised and smiled.

They continued to learn other animals such as penguin, bird, turtle and many more. When Tony heard his enthusiastic daughter repeating the words Ziva spoke easily and effortlessly he looked up. The sight made him happy his daughter smiling and enjoying herself for the first time in the last week.

After going through all the animals Ziva could think of they started on numbers. They only got through the number ten before Ziva realized that Isabella was no longer repeating after her. She looked down and found that she was fast asleep against her chest lightly snoring. She moved her a bit so she was more comfortable.

Tony got up and went to give Gibbs a folder. He noticed that Isabella was asleep on Ziva's lap. He walked over to her desk. "Sorry ill take her down to Abby's lab."

"It is no problem. She is fine." Ziva reassured him.

"I don't want to put you to any trouble. But thank you" Tony picked up Isabella carefully so as to not stir her and wake her up.

He headed towards the elevators before Gibbs stopped him. "Where are you going DiNozzo?"

"To put Isabella on Abby's futon." Tony answered taken aback.

"Okay but I want you right back. You have work to do." Gibbs ordered.

"Yes boss," Tony responded and headed to drop Isabella off to Abby's lab.

As Tony descended down the elevator he hoped that Abby didn't have her music at full blast. He held his breath as the elevator doors opened. Thankfully her music was off. "Abbs," Tony called out.

"What's up?" Abby turned around and when she noticed it was Tony she walked over to him and gave him a giant bear hug. "How are you?"

"I would be better if people would stop asking me how I am." He snapped. Abby frowned and stepped back a bit. "I'm sorry Abby." He sighed when he realized what he had done.

"It's okay I understand how you must be feeling. So what did you need?" She asked trying to not offend Tony again.

"I was wondering if I could lay Isabella on your couch. She's asleep." He walked over to the futon.

"Go ahead." Tony went to place Isabella on the futon, gave her a kiss on the forehead, thanked Abby and headed back upstairs.

They had been sitting at their desks not really doing. Tony was going to take advantage of the free time to go check on Isabella. But just as tony was going to leave Gibbs phone rang. "Yeah, Gibbs?"

The whole team noticed his face go pale. "Stay where you are don't move. I'm on my way." Gibbs hung up the phone. "DiNozzo, Ziva, come with me." Gibbs barked.

They both got up and followed Gibbs to the elevator. "Where are we going Gibbs?" Tony asked.

"Abby's lab somebody shot at her." Gibbs informed them.

"Isabella boss she's down there."

The elevator doors opened and Tony threw himself into Abby's lab. It was dark and there was glass all over the place. "Get down Tony!" Ziva yelled at him before he did anything stupid. The other two joined him and crouched down. They crawled over to where Abby was sitting covering Isabella under the window.

"Daddy," Isabella cried. "I scared."

Tony sat next to Abby and grabbed Isabella. He sat her on his lap and cuddled her. "You're okay. Everything will be okay." He soothed her.

Meanwhile Gibbs checked up on Abby. "What happened Abbs?"

"I was just working with my babies when all of a sudden the windows shattered and I saw a gun casing land over by the futon. I saw a figure run by but wasn't able to catch a glimpse of him." Abby curled up and hugged her knees.

"Ari," Gibbs whispered. "Abbs don't worry I will get you bulletproof glass."

"That doesn't exist." Abby placed her chin on her knees.

"Bullet resistant then." He reassured Abby. "Ziva, DiNozzo, take Isabella down to Ducky so he can check her out." They all ducked and crawled to the door. They took the elevator one floor up and headed to autopsy.

In the light of the elevator they noticed that Isabella had some cuts on her arms and a really large one from the end of her forehead to the cheek. Once the shock of the incident wore off the big gash on Isabella's face started to sting. "Daddy it hurt." She sobbed and clung to his shirt.

"I know sweetie. We are going to take care of it." She continued to cling on to her dad and Ziva played with Isabella's hair.

They reached autopsy and Tony asked Ziva if she could go in first and check that they're went any bodies in autopsy. She went to check and came back. She told them that they're weren't any and so they all went in.

"Ducky we need some of your assistance." He tried to sit Isabella on the autopsy tables but she didn't want to let go. "I need you to check Isabella out. She has a lot of cuts."

Tony checked her and every time he put antiseptic on it she would cry that it stung. The couple that was on her arm weren't too bad all they needed was some disinfectant. But the one on her face required stitches and Ducky didn't have any anesthetic so he suggested they take her to the ER. Tony didn't hesitate he grabbed his daughter and headed for his car. Ziva followed to make sure they were okay. But before she took off she told Ducky to tell Gibbs they headed to the hospital.

When they arrived to the ER they went to the front desk. "My daughter needs stitches."

The lady grabbed forms, a clipboard and pushed it towards him. "Please fill out these forms and wait to be called."

Tony wasn't going to wait and both he and Ziva flashed their badges. "Now I suggest you take her in now." Tony yelled.

The nurse intimidated went to get the doctor. The doctor came out. "What's the problem?" Tony and Ziva flashed their badges. The doctor told them to follow them. Ziva waited in the waiting room and tony followed the doctor to an open room.

The doctor took them applied an anesthetic to the injured area and began to stitch it up. The whole time Isabella stayed in her father's arms with Tony reassuring her everything would be okay.

"David," Ziva answered her phone.

"It seems that the same person who killed Kate, Ari," Gibbs whispered the last part. "Wants revenge on my team. He already struck Abby and I feel he will go for Tony next. You are on protection detail for them until further notice. Understood?" Gibbs barked. He was pissed off that this bastard was going after his team.

"Yes Gibbs." Ziva replied.

"I want hourly updates." He ordered and then hung up the phone not waiting for an answer.

Tony came walking out with a sleepy Isabella. "How is she?" Ziva asked.

"She is doing fine. The doctor gave her twelve stitches and some child's pain medication to help with the pain. So she will be sleeping for a while."

"I am glad." Ziva stroked her hair and then returned her gaze at tony. "Gibbs has ordered me to protection detail for both you and Isabella."

"Thank you but I don't need protecting. I can handle it." Tony argued.

"I am not arguing with that but it is bosses orders. So your place or mine?" Ziva asked.

"Mine. It's easier for Isabella to be in familiar surroundings." Tony looked down at her and she seemed to be fast asleep in his arms.

"Okay well then you will not mind if we stop by my place to get some things?" Tony shook his head and they headed to the car but as they stepped foot out of the ER doors and headed to their car three shots were fired in their direction.

**Please don't forget to review**


	4. Happy Anniversary

**[A/N Thanks for all of your awesome reviews they are very much appreciated. So my story now has a wonderful beta. Please give her lots of love and check out her story Her Life, probiegirl1717. Please don't forget to review.]**

**Previously on Love is a Privilege:**

"Okay well then you will not mind if we stop by my place to get some things?" Tony shook his head and they headed to the car but as they stepped foot out of the ER doors and headed to their car three shots were fired in their direction.

**Chapter 4: Happy Anniversary Kate**

They all walked out of the ER and in those moments three shots had been fired. Tony threw himself to cover Ziva and Isabella. He was not going to lose another partner. Once they recovered from the shock they ducked behind an arriving ambulance.

"Ziva are you okay?" Tony called out as he reached for her hand.

"I am fine. Are you and Isabella okay?" Ziva asked as she took Tony's hand as well.

"We're fine," Tony looked down at Isabella she was still sleeping and Tony was glad because this would have been too much for her.

"We need to get to the car and call Gibbs." Ziva secured the area before heading to the car. Thankfully they were coming from work so they had their guns with them. They rushed quickly to the car and drove off. This time Ziva drove. She wasn't taking any chances especially with Isabella in the car. Ziva drove to her apartment first to pick up a few things and call Gibbs. Ziva came up to her apartments and got out of the car looking around to make sure they weren't being followed.

"We'll wait in the car." Tony responded. As much as he wondered what kind of home an assassin had he really wasn't in any mood to snoop around right now.

"No I am supposed to be protecting you so you will come up with me." Ziva ordered. Once loss on the team was enough.

They made their way to Ziva's apartment. When they entered Tony looked around. It wasn't really what he was expecting. He didn't know what he was expecting but not this. It was feminine, homey and very tidy. He was expecting guns and knife collections not pictures and decorations to cover the apartment.

"Make yourself at home. I am just going to grab some stuff and then call Gibbs." Ziva said as she made her way into her room.

Tony went over to the couch and sat down. Isabella was slowly waking. She rubbed her eyes, yawned, and looked up at her dad. "I thirsty." She told her dad.

Tony was hesitant to allow himself to just get something out of the refrigerator. I mean they were partners and friends right? She shouldn't mind if he just grabbed some water would she? But he got up anyways and headed to the refrigerator. He opened it up and laughed. Ziva wasn't as big of a health nut as he imagined her to be. Her fridge was probably the same or even worse than his was before he got married. He grabbed a water bottle quickly and got back to the couch. "How are you feeling, sweetie?"

"My head hurt a wittle." She said touching in the general area of her stitches. Tony handed her the water bottle and she drank like half of it in one gulp.

"You really were thirsty huh?" He said smoothing out her hair. She nodded and continued to drink some more.

Ziva came out with a bag. "Okay we can go. Gibbs said that we are not supposed to leave the apartment until further notice." But what she didn't tell him was that it was because they were going after Ari and Gibbs didn't want Tony anywhere near him. Now that they knew he was the source the protection detail was to keep him from doing something stupid.

They headed back to Tony's apartment. He really needed to put Isabella to bed. But thankfully with Ziva driving they made it in five minutes to his apartment. When they got there, Tony went straight to put Isabella to bed. "Daddy you read me a story?"

"Not tonight sweetheart daddy's tired." He bent down, gave her a kiss on her forehead, and then tucked her in. "Get some rest pumpkin it's been a long day."

"Night daddy. Love you." She said through a yawn.

"Night pumpkin." He got up from the bed and went to turn of the lights.

"Wait daddy can Ziva come give me a kiss good night?" She asked through another yawn. The scare and ER had taken a lot out of her.

"I'll go get her okay." He walked out of the room and went to get Ziva a few seconds later he came back with her. Tony stayed leaning against the doorframe watching the interaction between the two.

She approached Isabella's bed and sat down. She bent over to give her a kiss on the forehead. "Layla tov tateleh."

"Layla tov Ziva. Love you." She responded.

Ziva was shocked she didn't know if to respond or not. It was very hard for her to say these words to anyone. But for some reason she found it really easy to say it back to Isabella. "Love you too tateleh." She gave her one last kiss and walked out.

Tony followed her into the living room. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to intrude." Ziva apologized. She knew Isabella missed her mom and it was normal for a kid to get comfortable with someone close to them that could act as a mother figure but still she didn't want to impose.

"It's okay you don't have to apologize. I'm actually very glad she has you. She wouldn't have been able to get through this without you. We both wouldn't have thank you." Tony smiled. Then clapped his hands quietly. "So a movie?" Tony asked her.

"Uh sure. Why not?" Ziva started to walk over to the couch but Tony grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"No the couch is a bit uncomfortable and I'm tired. We will watch a movie in my room." Tony told her as he grabbed his favorite James Bond movie, guaranteed to brighten up his mood, and headed towards the room.

"Tony no this is yours and Kate's room. I feel like I'm screwing up some sacred bond or something." She didn't feel comfortable lying on the bed to watch a movie even if they were separated and their intentions were purely friendly.

"Was our bed." Tony got sad once again. "Plus we are just going to watch a movie Ziva nothing is going to happen."

She agreed but first she went to change. As did Tony, he stripped to his boxers and T-shirt. Then went to put the movie in and got into his side of the bed while he waited for Ziva. She finally came out of the bathroom with some sweats and T-shirt. She hesitantly and awkwardly went to the right side of the bed and sat down. "Get in," Tony encouraged.

She did as he said and then reclined against the headboard. "I hope you like James Bond movies they are one of my favorites." Tony warned Ziva.

"Yes I know it is." Ziva replied as she tried to get comfortable all the while feeling awkward no matter how she sat.

"Well then." He turned to look at her seriously. "Thank you Ziva for being her for us this past week. You don't know how helpful you have been. I'm really grateful. Thank you." He turned back and started the movie. Throughout the movie they both started to lean in getting closer and closer to each other until both fell asleep leaning against one another.

_It was one of those rare days where the day was perfect. It was sunny, there was a breeze making it not too hot nor too cold, and Tony had woken up to a gorgeous woman sleeping next to him. Taking advantage that his wife was asleep he removed the covers from her exposing her growing belly and started to rub it gently. "Hi baby. I'm your daddy. Your mommy and I can't wait to meet you. We already love you so much. But do me a favor please don't give your mommy a hard time today she needs some rest." He whispered into Kate's belly. He looked up and saw that Kate was staring at him with tears in his eyes. Tony blushed he was definitely embarrassed. "How much of that did you hear?" He asked. _

_"Enough," and leaned down the best she could to kiss him. _

_"So what do you want to do today?" He asked her. Now that she was five months pregnant it was getting harder for Kate to find activities that didn't tire her out so much. _

_"I was thinking we could just stay in bed and watch some movies. I'm really tired." She said as she ran her hand through his hair. _

_"Sounds perfect." Tony kissed his wife and went to start on breakfast. _

_Later that day they were lying in bed with Kate leaning against Tony and he had one arm wrapped around her that rested on her stomach. They were watching Tony's favorite James Bond movie when Tony felt something hit him in the hand he looked down and saw nothing. So he ignored it and continued to watch the movie. But a few minutes later he felt it again. This time he looked at a stunned Kate. "What was that?" He asked her. _

_"The baby kicked." She said in disbelief placing her hand on the spot she had felt the kick. _

_"She kicked?" Tony asked. He was so sure that this baby was a girl that from the beginning he took to calling the baby a she. _

_Kate nodded, took his hand and placed it on the spot where she was kicking up a storm. "She's kicking Kate!" Tony said excitedly. Kate smiled but had tears in her eyes. She was so happy her baby had kicked letting them know that she was in fact in there. Tony overwhelmed with happiness allowed for his tears to fall as well. The movie was all but forgotten. He kissed Kate passionately this time sharing the moment of happiness with her. There was no place he'd rather be than lying in bed with Kate in his arms and feeling their baby kick for the first time. _

The next morning Ziva woke to find herself in a strange bed curled up with Tony. In a panic she pulled the covers off to make sure she was still wearing clothes. She knew that they must have fallen asleep watching the movie. She felt a little ridiculous for thinking the worst. She knew that Tony loved his wife very much, was still grieving and that he didn't see Ziva that way. But still hse knew that he was vulnerable and that before he had been with Kate he was a total lady's man. He still was from time to time but had calmed down since. After checking the time and making sure that she was fully clothed she went back to sleep.

The next time she awoke it was because of a knock coming from the door. Remembering why she had been sent to Tony's apartment she slowly got out of bed removing Tony's arm from her in the process, grabbed her gun and headed for the door. She kept it at her side but checked through the peephole all she could see was flowers. She opened the door but still kept her gun ready. "Delivery for the DiNozzo residence." He handed Ziva the flowers. "Happy anniversary Mrs. DiNozzo." She smiled and closed the door.

She placed the flowers on the counter and went to sit on the couch. Crap today was Tony's anniversary it would be a very long and emotional day for him. She couldn't hide the flowers that wouldn't be right but if he saw him it could take him right back to the depression that up until yesterday he had been in. Yesterday was the first day he had a least managed to smile. She decided she wasn't going to bring it up until he noticed.

Ziva checked the time and noticed it was nine. Both Tony and Isabella would surely wake up hungry. So she got up to headed to make breakfast but first stopped in to check on Isabella. She found her sitting on her bed looking through a picture book. Ziva walked in and sat beside her. "Good morning tateleh." She gave her a kiss on her temple.

"Good morning." Isabella replied.

"What are you doing?" Ziva looked down at the book she was looking at.

"Reading the thwee wittle pigs." Isabella replied not looking up from her book.

"I was just about to go make breakfast. Would you like to help me?" Ziva asked.

"Yes please. Can we make fwench toast?" Isabella asked excited.

"Yeah we can." They both got off the bed and headed for the kitchen. "But we have to be quiet because your dad is still sleeping." Isabella nodded and they got straight to work.

Once they had got the actual French toast cooking Tony walked out of the bedroom. "Whatcha cooking?" He asked still trying to wake up.

"Fwench toast daddy." Isabella told him running over to give him a hug. "Moning."

"Morning pumpkin." He placed on hand on her back. He walked over to where Ziva was cooking the French toast. "Morning," he told her walking over to the coffee machine to get it started. "Please tell me that you didn't sleep on that horrible couch." Tony stood by the coffee machine waiting for it to finish brewing.

"No, I did not." Ziva replied.

"Good," he smiled but quickly justified what he said before Ziva took it the wrong way. "I mean because you know the couch is really bad an I wouldn't want you sleeping on the couch while we both could have perfectly slept on the bed. I mean you know I was trying to be a gentleman." Tony continued to dig a bigger hole for himself. Ziva giggled as Tony blushed. He grabbed his coffee and went to stand at the breakfast bar and that's when he noticed the flowers. "What's this?" He asked Ziva.

"Some guy from Martha's garden delivered them this morning." Ziva told Tony hoping that he wouldn't fall back into his depression. "Hand me another piece." Ziva spoke over to Isabella.

"Oh," He took the card out and began to read it. _My dearest Kate today we celebrate four years of marriage. I'm proud to say that these have been the best four years of my life and I hope to celebrate many more with you. I love you your darling husband, Tony._ Tears began to fall and he didn't even stop them. It was their anniversary and Kate wasn't here to celebrate it with him. He threw the card back into the flowers and got up. "I'm going to go shower." He told Ziva.

"But breakfast is ready." Ziva told him already serving up the plates.

"I'm not hungry." He continued to walk towards his room.

"But Tony you have to eat." Ziva stressed. What she feared would happen was happening. He was falling back into his depression. He wasn't going to take care of himself.

"I'm not hungry okay. I'm going to get in the shower." He said short of aggressively. He disappeared in his room.

Ziva stood there with a plate in her hand. She placed it on the breakfast bar for Isabella and then served herself to join Isabella for breakfast. "Ziva why my daddy sad?" She asked worried that maybe she had done something to make him mad.

"He just misses your mommy and remembering her makes him sad sometimes." Ziva replied the best way she could.

"I miss mommy too and it makes me sad that she isn't here. But I no want to tell daddy because it make him sad to talk about mommy." Isabella replied with a frown.

"I am sure if you tell your father he will be happy to talk to you about your mom." Ziva ran a hand through her hair and smiled. Isabella nodded. "Now eat your food before it gets cold."

While Tony was in the shower Ziva cleaned the kitchen and spoke with Gibbs. He had called to inform that they had Ari in their custody and her protection detail was over. Isabella was watching some cartoons before she had to hop into the shower.

Tony finally came out. He was dressed semi decent but still looked very depressed. "I need to go take care of something would you mind watching Isabella for a while?" Tony asked as he looked around for his keys.

"No of course not." He grabbed his keys and the flowers. Ziva came over and placed a hand on his forearm. "Please be careful." She told him knowing well enough that he was capable of going and doing something stupid. He nodded, went to give Isabella a kiss and walked out the door.

"Where is daddy going?" Isabella turned her back to the TV to face Ziva.

"I do not know tateleh but we need to get you washed up and ready for when he comes back, yes?" Isabella nodded and jumped off the couch and they went into the bathroom.

Tony got in the car and drove towards the cemetery. He wasn't sure what he was going to do but all he knew was that he needed to see Kate. He wouldn't spend his anniversary without her. When he reached the cemetery he did so in rage and tears. He walked over to her headstone and placed the two-dozen red roses against it. "Happy anniversary my dearest Kate." He whispered. He fell onto his knees and sobbed against the headstone. It would have been five years today. "He continued to sob. "Do you remember our first anniversary?" He laughed as he remembered that first disastrous anniversary.

_It was their first wedding anniversary and Tony didn't have anything planned. He had waited until the last minute and had no idea what he was going to do. All he knew was that it had to be romantic. So he made reservations for an Italian restaurant and had ordered a dozen of Kate's favorite flowers yellow roses and orange tulips. He wanted this night to be perfect. Between breaks he had to be allowed he would call and set everything up. He made a mental note that for the following year he would plan things in advanced. McGee had a kick out of watching Tony go crazy with planning everything in one afternoon. _

_He ordered the dress that Kate had been looking at for weeks and placed it in a beautifully wrapped box with instructions on what to do with it. Knowing they were going to get out late from the office Tony just decided they would leave from NCIS. So, he waited until Kate left somewhere to place the box on her desk chair. Now was his chance Kate had gone down to Abby's lab and only McGee was in the squad room. He quickly placed Kate's package on her desk chair and went to go change. When he came back he saw that his package was gone and so was Kate. So, he waited at his desk until Kate came out. But when she did Tony was amazed she looked beautiful. She had her hair down in curls that barely went down to her shoulders, she had applied some make up but barely to where it still looked natural and she was wearing the dress. She was wearing a red _floor-_length_ _chiffon V-neck sleeveless dress__. It flowed beautifully and at the waistline it had some rhinestones embroidered all around it. "You look absolutely stunning." Tony gave her a kiss._

"_You look handsome yourself." Kate said as she placed her arm in Tony's._

"_Are you ready?" Kate nodded and they made their way over to the elevator. _

"_Congratulations!" McGee screamed over to them. _

_They made their way over to the restaurant but when they got there it turned out that the reservations had been mixed up and they didn't have a reservation until the following week. "Would you like me to keep your reservation Mr. DiNozzo?"_

"_Yeah sure." He told the hostess. "I'll bring you back next week and you can wear that sexy dress once again." He told Kate. _

_Instead of ruining their night and going home they walked around the town square. There they found a cozy, little café. They ordered some coffee and chocolate covered strawberries. That's as romantic as I'll get Tony thought. He took Kate's hand and looked her straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry that I we didn't get to have that romantic dinner you wanted so much." Tony apologized._

"_Yes I agree the dinner would have been nice. But as long as I get to spend it with you I don't care where we are." She went up to kiss Tony and they stayed there for a while. "What do you say we get out of here and continue to celebrate at home?" Kate winked at Tony and he knew exactly what that meant. So he jumped out of his chair and headed for the door. They continued to walk down the empty peaceful streets hand-in-hand taking in and enjoying the night. But it was far from over. There was more to come for the both of them when they got home. _

"Although the night didn't go as planned it turned out better than expected. I had the perfect night planned for us. I really miss you Kate." Tony was in tears. No matter how many years past he would never forget Kate. Tony left the flowers, got up, and headed home. Once again saying goodbye to the love of his life.

When he got back to his apartment he made a promise to himself that he wasn't going to wallow in self-pity today. Today he would go out and celebrate his anniversary. "Bella, sweetie, go wear a pretty dress. We are going out." Tony told his daughter.

"Okay daddy," she ran into her room and started looking through her dresses.

"Ziva would you like to join us?" Tony asked.

"No sorry I cannot Gibbs called he needs me back at NCIS." She said simply. In truth Gibbs had called because Ari had escaped and she was the only one that could find him.

"Oh okay." Tony frowned. He had really been enjoying Ziva's company. It was nice to have a friend in time like these.

Ziva noticed his frown. "But I will call you later, yes?" She reassured him.

Isabella came running out of her room wearing her favorite dress. Kate had given it to her for Christmas. "Daddy is Ziva comin wif us?" Isabella asked.

"No sweetie. Ziva has to go to work." Tony responded with a frown.

"But I wan her to come wif us." She whined.

Ziva kneeled down and placed a hand on Isabella's cheek. "I will back later, I promise."

Isabella smiled and looked up to her dad. Ziva walked out and headed back to the place they had agreed to meet wit Ari. "Are you ready pumpkin?" Tony asked his daughter as he picked her up. She nodded. Tony went to go change and then they left.

He took his daughter to the Italian restaurant that Tony and Kate were supposed to go to on the first anniversary but never could. "Daddy why are we here?" Isabella asked.

"Because today is mommy and mine anniversary." Isabella looked at him confused. "Today five years ago your mommy and I got married."

"Oh," she answered simply.

Tony went on to tell her all about their first anniversary and what a disaster that day had started out as. By the end they were both crying. Isabella got out of her chair and went to sit on her daddy's lap. "Daddy is it okay that I miss mommy?" she asked.

"Of course it is sweetie. I miss mommy too and I'm sorry I haven't been there for you. I know it has been tough for you too." He apologized feeling guilty for leaving his daughter to deal with this all herself. Luckily she's had Ziva and she has helped her a lot.

"It okay daddy." She leaned her head on his chest. But spoke up again remembering what Ziva had told her. "Daddy is it okay if I wan to talk about mommy sometimes?"

"Of course. Anytime you want me to tell you anything about your mommy just let me know okay?" Tony reassured her. She nodded and continued to lean her head on his chest.

That's how they spent the entire night Isabella asking about Kate and Tony telling her all the stories he could remember. It still hurt both of them to remember Kate. But at least now they were able to talk about her without completely breaking down. "Mommy was an awesome mommy." Isabella said with a smile as she took in everything that Tony had told her.

"That she was." Tony said looking up as if he could she Kate smiling down at them. "Happy Anniversary Kate." He said up into the sky.

**Hope you enjoyed. Now please to forget to review and leave lots of love.**


	5. Your Mommy no Love you

**[A/N I ask you to please check out my beta, probiegirl1717, she's awesome and so is her story Her Life. Leave her love. So are you guys getting bored of this story? If not please leave me reviews to let me know you are still interested]**

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS and I never will unfortunately**

**Previously on Love is a Privilege:**

That's how they spent the entire night Isabella asking about Kate and Tony telling her all the stories he could remember. It still hurt both of them to remember Kate. But at least now they were able to talk about her without completely breaking down. "Mommy was an awesome mommy." Isabella said with a smile as she took in everything that Tony had told her.

"That she was." Tony said looking up as if he could she Kate smiling down at them. "Happy Anniversary Kate." He said up into the sky.

**Chapter 5: Your mommy no love you**

After a wonderful dinner and spending some time together they headed home. When they got to the apartment Ziva was waiting outside. "I'm glad you came." Tony told her.

"Ziva!" Isabella came running towards Ziva and ran into her legs.

"Hey tateleh." She bent down to give her a proper hug. She looked up to face Tony. "I need to speak with you."

"Okay let me put Isabella to bed first." Tony opened the door, put his jacket on the coat hanger, and threw his keys into the bin. He picked up Isabella and tickled her. "You are going to bed. Say good night to Ziva."

"No daddy I wan Ziva to come tuck me in too." She stretched out her hand so that Ziva could take it. "Will you Ziva?" She asked with a big smile.

"Of course tateleh." Ziva followed them into Isabella's room and she went to go stand by the bookcase. She felt like she was intruding in on a daughter father moment. She felt like an outsider and didn't know what to do.

Tony put Isabella in bed and then he sat down to read her a book. Ziva just continued to lean against the bookcase. Isabella noticed and patted a spot next to her for her to come sit down. "Sit Ziva." Ziva walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. Isabella cuddled up to her and Ziva put an arm around her.

Tony continued on with the story about the princesses and dragons. When he got to about two thirds of the story Tony looked up and noticed that Isabella was asleep leaning against Ziva. Tony smiled. "She really misses her mom." He said more for himself than Ziva really.

Ziva looked down and put back a few pieces of hair that were loose. "What kid does not?" She answered simply.

Tony continued to look at Isabella. "So what did you need to talk about?" He asked remembering that was why she was here.

"Not here." She slowly maneuvered out of Isabella's hold and headed towards the living room. Tony did the same, turned off Isabella's lamp, and left the door slightly open. They went to sit on the couch.

"So what is it you need to tell me? You've fallen in love with me?" Tony joked.

"Tony this is serious." Tony stopped laughing and looked at Ziva seriously. "You will be glad to know that Ari is dead." Ziva was very serious she couldn't believe what she had done.

"You're right I'm glad. But why wasn't I informed of this. I wanted to be the one to do it. He took Kate from me." Tony said enraged. "Who was it?" He asked.

"Gibbs," Ziva said and looked away. There's something more to the story that she was not telling him.

"Ziva there is something you are not telling me." He told her. But she would not look at him. "Ziva look at me." He told her. But she would not look at him. He put a finger under her chin and pulled her face so that she was looking at him. He saw a few tears escape her but she wiped them away vigorously before more could escape. Tony stared at her as she kept staring at her hands. She looked like he did all the previous week. It was now his turn to do his duty ad friend and partner. "I know there is something more you are not telling me. If you don't want to talk about it I understand. But just know that this moral support is two ways. I am here for you." He placed his hand on her knee.

Ziva looked up at Tony and stared in his eyes. All she found was sadness and compassion. She knew that he was telling the truth and wasn't just messing with her. "Thank you but I must be going." She got off the couch and headed for the door. She opened it but left her hand on the doorknob. "I will see you tomorrow." She left closing the door behind her.

Tony rubbed a hand through his face sighing deeply in frustration. He got up from the couch and walked in to check on his daughter. He opened the door slowly so not to wake her and just stood there staring. She looked so at peace how she had been before everything with her mother had happened. He started to back out of the room but stopped when Isabella called for him. "Daddy?" She called.

"Yes pumpkin?" Tony asked.

"Do I have to go to preschool tomorrow? I no wanna go." She asked looking sadly at her dad. Ever since her moms accident she had not been attending preschool but now that things were back to the new normal she had to go back. But she didn't want to she enjoyed going to work with her dad and spending time with everyone.

"I'm afraid so, sweetie. But I promise you'll have a great time. " Tony told her.

"Daddy can I sleep wif you?" She asked pulling back the covers, grabbing Mr. Snuggles and getting out of bed.

"Yes, come on." He grabbed her hand and they headed towards Tony's bedroom. They got in and Isabella curled herself up to her dad. "Good night Bella love you."

"Love you too daddy." She curled up against her dad making herself comfortable and then fell asleep.

The following morning had been a total nightmare. The alarm hadn't gone off and they were running late. Then to make matters worse Isabella was very reluctant on staying at preschool. Every time Tony attempted to leave she would hold on to his arm and cry out for him. Then she would have a temper tantrum and say she wanted her mom. That she would only go to class if her mom came. They both knew that was physically impossible. So it only made matters worse. It took a written promise that he would come early to pick her up. But dropping off Isabella had been a total nightmare. Then on the way to work he hit traffic so he was already an hour late when McGee called and told him to meet him up at the crime scene.

When he finally arrived about an hour and a half late. Gibbs head slapped him four times. "Don't be late DiNozzo." Gibbs barked.

"Sorry boss but Isabella didn't want to stay at daycare I couldn't leave." He pleaded for his case but to no avail. Gibbs just stared at him.

"I don't care DiNozzo. Now you get to stay behind and make sure that the body gets delivered back to Ducky." Gibbs ordered. His agents wouldn't get off the hook that easily.

Tony was about to protest but the look on Gibbs face made him to choose otherwise. "Yes boss."

_Kate and Tony had been seeing each other for a few months now and Kate had stayed at Tony's place almost every night._ _Gibbs already knew about their relationship and warned them that if it got in the way of their work he would separate them. So it didn't help matters that they were already half an hour late to work. As soon as they walked in Gibbs ordered that they had a dead marine. _

_When they got to the crime scene Gibbs made both his agents do probie work as punishment for being late. Then when it arose that the petty officer had a two-year-old son Gibbs put both Kate and Tony on protection detail for the boy. They had not been too thrilled but it was better than being fired. _

_But the joke was on Gibbs because, Carson, the petty officers son was a perfect angel. Very well behaved and hardly made a fuss. They had enjoyed playing house for the weekend. Except for when they both fought over who would change the dirty diapers. "No Tony it's your turn to change the diaper." Kate told him as she pushed him towards the couch. _

_"No please Kate. I'll do anything I promise." Tony begged he didn't want to change this diaper. _

_"Anything?" Kate asked and Tony nodded. "Will you give me a foot message and a back message?"_

_"Yes as long as I don't have to change this diaper. Please?" He made his begging face that Kate couldn't resist. _

_"Okay," Kate laughed. "But you better not be like this with our kids because I will not be doing all the dirty work." Kate joked as she prepared everything to change the diaper. Tony just continued to stare at her amazed. "What?" She said. "Did I get something on my face?"_ _She picked at her face trying to see if anything had gotten on it. _

_"You said our kids." Tony smiled. _

_"Yes our kids Tony. I plan to have children of my own one day." She told him. _

_Tony walked up to him and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "You're amazing you know that?" Kate blushed but their moment was interrupted by the demands of attention from Carson. "Looks like someone is jealous." Tony pouted. _

_Kate picked him up and blew on his stomach. Sending the baby into a fit of giggles. "You just wanted some attention right big boy." _

_Tony stared at the interaction between the baby and Kate. She would definitely make an amazing mother one day he thought and he smiled, as it would be his kids as well. He continued to stare smiling. Kate finally noticed and turned to look at him. "What?" _

_"Nothing you'll just make an amazing mother one day." He told her blushing from embarrassment. He didn't like being all emotional. But that weekend had opened Tony's mind to something important. That he intend one day would love to be a father as long as they had Kate as their mother. _

Tony waited at the crime scene for about two hoursfor the truck, that would transport the body, to arrive. It then took another hour to make it back to headquarters and have all the proper paperwork filled out before the body could be released to them. Tony made his way back to the squad room exhausted. Lucky for him only Ziva was there and he was able to collapse in to his chair and take a brief nap. "You look exhausted." Ziva told him.

"I feel exhausted." He said as he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

"Oh Tony the daycare called several times while you were gone they wouldn't release any information to me. But it sounded urgent." She told him.

Tony picked up the phone and was in the middle of dialing when Gibbs walked in the squad room. "Did the body get delivered?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes boss," he said continuing the dialing.

"Good because I need you to go with McGee and check out the a suspect. McGee is downstairs waiting." Gibbs handed Tony a piece of paper with a name and address.

Tony went back to dialing. But Gibbs put his finger on the dial and ended the call. "Now DiNozzo."

Tony grabbed all his stuff. "Yes boss." He headed out the elevator and once he was back in the car he phoned the daycare. "Hello this is agent Anthony DiNozzo my parent said the daycare has been trying to reach me?" McGee gave him a worried look. Tony waved him off and told him to pay attention to the road. "Yes I understand but unfortunately I am unable to pick her up. If I sent in officer Ziva David and authorized the pick up would she be able to?"

"Yes thank you I will inform her." Tony hung up and dialed Ziva's number.

"What's wrong?" McGee asked. But Tony shut him up by holding up his hand.

"Ziva I need you to do me a favor. I called the daycare and Isabella needs to be picked up. Could you do it?" He asked hopefully.

"Thanks you're the best. Make sure to take some identification with you." He told her and hung up.

After Ziva hung up with Tony she took advantage that Gibbs had gone down to Abby's lab to check on some evidence and snuck out. She made it to the daycare in record time and walked in getting awkward stares from parents and workers for the gun she carried. Out of habit she had grabbed it and placed it in the holder forgetting to leave it in the car. Ignoring the stares she walked up to the front desk. "Hello I'm Ziva David I was told to come pick up Isabella DiNozzo."

The receptionist smirked and asked for ID. Ziva held up her NCIS photo ID and was led to the nurse's office. She walked over to Isabella worried that she was sick or had gotten hurt. "Are you okay tateleh?"

Isabella nodded. Where she had gotten stitches was bleeding, swollen and her eyes were the same swollen and red. The principle walked in after being informed that an adult was here to pick up Isabella. "Hello officer David I'm Mrs. Holden the principle of the preschool." She stretched out her hand so that Ziva could shake it.

"It is pronounced Daveed. What happened?" Ziva asked worried about Isabella's appearance.

"Well it seems that Isabella punched one of her classmates. So I'm sorry to inform you that she has been expelled for the rest of the week."

Ziva tuned to look at Isabella who was silently crying. "Tateleh why did you hit somebody?" Ziva was utterly confused Isabella was not one for violence. Tony and Kate, especially Kate, always made sure to stress that violence was never a solution.

Isabella took her eyes off her hands and looked up to Ziva. "I was coloring a picture of mommy and daddy when Connor came over and asked me what I was coloring. I told him it was my mommy and daddy. He said that he heard from Ms. Addison that I no longer had a mommy that she left because she didn't love me. I told him it wasn't true but he kept saying mean things about mommy. So I pushed him and then he pushed me and I feel and hit my head where I have my booboo. Is it true Ziva did mommy leave cause she no love me no more?" Isabella cried.

"No tateleh your mommy loved you very much." Ziva picked up Isabella and soothed her. "What will happen with Connor?" Ziva asked Mrs. Holden.

"He has been put in a time out and will have no recess for the rest of the week." She informed Ziva.

"I do not think that is fair. Isabella is not violent she defended herself from being mocked. Imagine you being three years old, losing your mother and then have some kids say the things he said. I am surprised she did not react worse." Ziva argued. It honestly wasn't fair that Isabella was getting all the blame for this.

"I am sorry you feel that way officer David but we have a zero tolerance policy. Besides it seems that she is still too emotionally unstable to be interacting with other kids. So I feel it is best that she not be allowed to return until next week." The principle responded a bit agitated.

"May we leave now?" Ziva asked coldly.

"Yes of course." Mrs. Holden opened the door and Ziva walked out as she said some nasty things in Hebrew under her breath.

"Ziva will daddy be mad at me?" Isabella asked through her tears.

"No tateleh. This is not your fault. What Connor said to you was not very nice. Although, you should have not have punched him, he should have not said those things. In my opinion you did the right thing by punching him. But do not tell your daddy I said that." She curled up closer to Ziva and continued to cry.

Ziva made it back to NCIS quickly but not as quickly as usual because Isabella was in the car. She made her way up to the squad room scared of what might be expecting her. But thankfully no was there. So she took the opportunity to head down to see Ducky so he could look at Isabella's stitches.

"My dear Isabella what happened?" Ducky asked as he saw Isabella's face.

"She got into a fight at school and it seems that she has irritated her stitches. Could you take a look at them Ducky?" Ziva asked as she sat down on one of the autopsy tables.

"It seems she has ripped her last stitch. I will just clean it off and cover it with some gauze and hospital tape so that they do not continue to rip." he cleaned off her wound with some disinfectant gaining him some unpleasant groans from Isabella and then proceeded to place the gauze and tape.

"All done." Ducky said as he placed a kiss on Isabella's temple. "You were a very brave patient." Isabella smiled and then got back into Ziva's arms. They made there way out the door but Ducky stopped them. "I do hope that whomever you punched deserved it my dear Bella."

"Oh he did Ducky." Ziva replied for her and they headed back up to the squad room where McGee, Tony and Gibbs were working at their desks.

"Daddy," Isabella exclaimed and Ziva handed her over to Tony.

"What happened?" Tony asked to no one in particular.

"Well she is not allowed to go back to daycare until next week." Ziva continued on to explain everything that had happened. "So she punched him and well you know how it ends."

Tony stayed quiet and he had gotten angry. Isabella noticed and looked up at her dad. "You mad at me daddy?" Isabella asked.

"No sweetie, I'm not mad at you." He hugged her to prove that he wasn't mad. "I'm mad at the school and Connor."

"He said mean things daddy." The tears started up again. Ziva standing next to her and Tony rubbed her back.

"Why are you not working?" Gibbs walked in to the squad room and yelled at them. Gibbs noticed Isabella and his demeanor changed. "What happened?"

Ziva went over to explain to Gibbs what happened and Tony went to go sit at his desk with Isabella. "Is that why you disappeared for an hour officer David?"

"Yes Gibbs." She told him.

He just nodded and stared. "Get back to work." Ziva ran back over to her desk to get started on her work. Gibbs walked over to Tony's desk "Munchkin would you like to take a walk with Grandpa Gibbs?"

Isabella looked up to her dad for confirmation. "It's okay you can go." She nodded, jumped off her dads lap and walked over to take Gibb's hand. Tony gave Gibbs a look of worry. "She will be fine DiNozzo. Now get back to work." Both took off.

Gibbs took Isabella to the nearby park so that they could walk around and talk. "Munchkin I want you to tell me what happened." Gibbs said as he released Isabella's hand.

"Connor say mean things about mommy." Isabella said sadly. Her eyesight was on her feet the entire time.

"But you know everything he said wasn't true." She shook her head. "Look at me." He told her and she looked at him. "Your mom loved you very much. Very very much. The day you were born was the happiest day of your parent's life."

_Kate had been with Abby having lunch when Kate's water broke. Abby called Tony and met with them at the hospital. They quickly got her settled in and Tony was allowed back into the room. Kate's labor had been long and painful. She stuck it out and refused the epidural several times. Tony stuck by her side messaging her back, getting her what she wanted, and allowing her to squeeze his hand even though she came close to breaking his hand several times. Tony had to stay strong for the both of them but seeing Kate in so much pain made his heart brake. He wished that she could take away all her pain. After twenty hours in labor it was finally time to push. But Kate was completely exhausted and in excruciating pain. She couldn't handle anymore of this, she just wanted to sleep and stop all the pain. But she had to push. Tony took her hand and looked at her. "Kate, sweetie, come on you can do this. Just think if you push we will meet our daughter soon. He put his forehead on hers and on the next contraction she pushed. Not only did she not have an easy labor she spent an hour pushing and nothing was happening. But determined to not have any outside forces intervene. She pulled out her last bit of energy and pushed. Three contractions later and their beautiful daughter was born. _

_Tony cut the umbilical cord and then the doctors wiped her off and handed her to Kate so that she could see her daughter. Overwhelmed she broke down in tears. She was the most beautiful baby in the world. She had a full set of black hair and her father's green eyes. She was perfect. Tony put an arm around Kate, kissed her on her temple, and starred at their daughter. "You did an amazing job. I am so proud of you." Tony told her. She smiled up at him._

_The doctors cleared everything out and allowed them time with their newborn. Kate continued to hold their daughter, Isabella, and Tony continued to stare at both of his wonderful girls. "She's so beautiful. I just want to stare at her all day." Tony cried. They kissed each other. _

_Kate fell asleep and Tony took the baby from her arms. Poor Kate she was completely drained and so Tony allowed her to sleep. He cradled the baby in his arms and stared at her. "Hey Bella. I'm your daddy. You don't know how happy your mommy and I are that you are finally here. We have been waiting for you for a long time and now you are here. We promise to love you very much." He kissed her on her forehead and she yawned and fell asleep. Like father like daughter Tony thought. _

_Kate woke up and immediately asked for her daughter. To give her the privacy that he had while she was asleep he went to go update the team on the baby and Kate's status. Kate cradled the baby in her arms. "Hi baby girl I'm your mommy. You sure did take your sweet time coming out. Stubborn just like your mommy." She laughed. "But its okay I'm glad you are here now. I have been waiting for you for nine months and now I get to finally meet you. Mommy loves you very much." She gave her a kiss on the forehead and the baby opened her eyes. She looked up to her mom with such admiration and love. _

"Munchkin don't ever forget that your mom loves you very much. Even now she is watching over you making sure that you are safe." Gibbs reassured her.

"Thank you grandpa Gibbs." She gave him a hug and they continued to walk down the park reminiscing in old memories.

**I hope you like it and please don't forget to review. it lets me know you are still interested. **


	6. Daddy! Help!

**[A/N Thanks for your reviews, follows, and edits. This is another version of chapter 6. Please review it keeps the story going. Hope you like this more]**

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**

Previously on Love is a Privilege:

"Munchkin, don't ever forget that your mom loves you very much. Even now she is watching over you making sure that you are safe." Gibbs reassured her.

"Thank you, Grandpa Gibbs." She gave him a hug and they continued to walk down the park

**Chapter 6: Daddy! Help!**

With each toss the covers would entangle Isabella more and more and each time she would whimper softly. Another nightmare had crept up on her. Ever since the boy at her school had messed with her she constantly dreamt that her mom was abandoning her and every night she would end up in her dad's bed making him promise that her mom did not leave willingly. Isabella shot straight up in bed, a cold sweat covering her face, her body shaking, and tears starting to fall. She woke just as she was begging her mom to stay. "Mommy," she cried but it was so soft it faded into the air. She jumped out of bed almost falling face first as her feet were embedded deep within the covers. She wandered the room looking for Mr. Snuggles who had seemed to fall under the bed during the night from the constant movement. She grabbed him and immediately took him in a deep embrace. "Mommy," she cried again. Now with the security of Mr. Snuggles Isabella wandered over to her father's bedroom. She climbed up on the bed and cuddled against her dad.

Tony who turned into a light sleeper ever since he had married Kate woke up when his bedroom door creaked. He turned over and waited for Isabella to cuddle up to him like she did every time she wandered into his bedroom. "You have another nightmare sweetie?" Tony wrapped his arms around Isabella and rubbed her back.

Isabella nodded against Tony's chest. "Mommy left me daddy. She no want me." The tears began to fall again as she repeated her dream to her dad. "Why mommy no want me?"

Tony's heart broke he couldn't have Isabella thinking that her mother left willingly, that she didn't want her, that wasn't the truth. Kate loved Isabella more than she had ever loved anything in her life. But Isabella was three and therefore believed everything anyone told her. Even after reassuring her constantly subconsciously she still had the doubt that her mother left her or didn't want her. Tony didn't care how long it took he was going to make Isabella understand that her mother didn't abandon her that she loved her very much. "Bella, your mom loved you so much. She needed you more than she needed air. Your mom wouldn't leave you ever. You need to understand that. Please don't listen to what kids say at school. They are just trying to be mean." He hugged Isabella tighter.

Isabella lifted up her head slightly and looked at her dad with sad eyes. "I miss mommy."

Tony now wore the same expression as Isabella. He hugged her closer and kissed her gently on the forehead. "So do I."

They stayed like that for a while in each other's embrace until Isabella not really in the mood for anything broke the silence. "Daddy we go to your work today?" She was still expelled from preschool and had been going to work with Tony every day.

Tony thought about it before answering. He agreed with Isabella he really wasn't in the mood to go either. He grabbed his cellphone and turned it off. "No, you and I are going to spend some time together." He told her and Isabella smiled.

"Picnic in the pawk?" Isabella placed herself on her dad's lap and looked up at him.

"Anything you want." He promised her as he kissed her on the top of her head taking in the scent of her mother's coconut shampoo.

"Ziva come to?"

"Not this time. She has to work." Tony ruffled her hair, turned on the TV for her and went to shower. Tony had gotten showered and dressed and was now getting Isabella ready when the doorbell rang. "Go put your clothes on." He told Isabella and then went to answer the door.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Tony asked surprised. Ziva stood at the door with a pissed off look on her face and punched Tony in the stomach. "Ow what was that for?"

"For making me worry. You are not answering your cellphone and you are three hours late for work. Gibbs sent me to make sure that you are not dead because that is the only reason he can think of for you to not come in." She told him with anger and worry in her voice.

"I'm fine it's just that I decided to play hooky today." Tony smiled to reassure her as he led her into the apartment.

"Hooky?" She asked not understanding what the word meant.

"It means I won't be going to work. Isabella and I really need to have a fun day."

"Are you feeling alright Tony? Gibbs will kill you if you do not go into work today." Ziva placed her hand on Tony's forehead checking to make sure he did not have a temperature. After she was sure he was fine she head slapped him Gibbs style trying to knock some sense into him.

"I'm not sick. Would you like to join us? Isabella asked me to invite you earlier."

She looked at him like he had gone crazy. "Tony as much as I would like to I have to go to work I just cannot not go. Gibbs will blow a fuse." She told him.

Isabella hearing voices coming from the living room walked out. She ran directly to Ziva and gave her a hug. "Ziva!" She yelled. "Daddy and I are going on a picnic. Want to come?" she asked her. Tony smirked he knew that Ziva would not be able to tell Isabella no.

Ziva glared at Tony cursing him with her eyes. He just smirked and glanced down at Isabella. She knew that Tony had put Isabella up to this because he knew she wouldn't be able to say no to her. She sighed and gave in. "Sure, I will go tateleh." Ziva grabbed her cellphone, turned it off and gave Isabella a kiss on the cheek. "This way it will be easier to ignore Gibbs." She told Tony.

"We were just about to have breakfast would you like to join us?" Tony headed towards the kitchen with Isabella. "What would you like for breakfast?" Tony asked Isabella.

"Uh, omelet!" Isabella pointed a finger and jumped up and down.

"Okay," Tony chuckled and Isabella ran to the pantry to get her apron. Then ran back to her dad and stood in front of him ready to help with anything he needed.

Ziva walked into the kitchen and stood behind Isabella placing her hands on her shoulders. "Can I help with anything?"

Tony nodded, "You can chop the tomatoes and bell peppers." He walked over to the fridge and handed them to her.

They all worked in their little station. Isabella sitting on the counter handed her dad things, Tony mixing the eggs, and Ziva chopping the vegetables. Isabella leaned over to where Ziva was working. "Ziva, why you not a mommy? You make a great mommy." Isabella asked innocently.

Ziva was stunned but quickly composed herself so that she could answer Isabella. "I need to find a daddy first and get married. Then I can be a mommy." Ziva explained to the three year old the best way she could.

Isabella's eyes widened. "You marry daddy and then you can be a mommy."

Tony dropped the wooden spoon when he heard what his daughter had said. Ziva was close to chopping off her finger if it wasn't for her ninja reflexes. They both blushed. "Uhh that is very sweet of you but your daddy is still married to your mommy."

"Oh," Isabella frowned she really thought her idea was brilliant. "Can you still be part of the family?"

"She is part of the family, sweetie, she is like aunt Abby." Tony cut in giving Ziva a break from being the center of attention.

"No daddy Ziva not like aunt Abby. I want her to be my best friend. My ziva." Isabella argued. Ziva was more than just an aunt to her.

Ziva not able to say anything smiled and hugged Isabella. All conversation after that was simply small talk. They finished up with breakfast, finished getting ready, and then made snacks to go to the park. Tony grabbed his keys, the basket and led them out of the apartment. They walked to the park located two blocks from Tony's apartments. Thankfully for them it was a beautiful sunny day. Tony and Ziva walked very close to one another behind Isabella who skipped all the way to the park. A grin never leaving her face because she loved when Ziva was with them. "Tony, aren't you worried about what Gibbs will do to us when we go back to work tomorrow?" Ziva asked him.

"Look at her," Tony pointed towards Isabella. "She's so happy. I'll take whatever Gibbs has coming for me as long as I can make my little girl happy." Ziva couldn't argue with that because she knew what it felt like to long for her father to spend a day with them and she wouldn't neglect Isabella of that. She too would take her punishment if it meant she could spend a nice day with her two favorite people. "I'm sorry about earlier. It's just she misses her mom and you're there and you help fill the void. I guess she just wants to make sure she doesn't lose you like she did her mom."

"It is normal for her to wonder. I spend too much time with you and little kids have wild imaginations." Ziva realized what they looked like to an outsider and she blushed.

They made it to the park and Isabella took off running towards the jungle gym. "Isabella, stay where I can see you." Tony yelled after her. Isabella nodded and continued on her quest to the swings.

"You are an amazing father Tony." Ziva put a hand on his shoulder and starred in the general direction that Isabella was in.

"I don't feel that way. I feel like I have failed her." He ran his hands through his face and stared at the horizon.

"Tony what happened with Kate is not your fault. There is no way we could have stopped it. You need to know that this is not your fault." For his health Ziva needed him to understand that this was not his fault.

"It feels a lot like it is my fault. I spend nights going back to that day and thinking of all the different things I could have done. But they all end the same way with Kate's death." He took a deep breath and quickly asked, "Does the guilt ever go away?" He kept a watchful eye on Isabella because he couldn't handle looking at Ziva.

"It will if you cannot make peace with what has happened. You need to forgive yourself Tony and if you cannot accept that this was not your fault the guilt will continue to eat at you and not let you move on with your life. Tony if not for your sake then for the sake of your daughter you need to make amends with what happened and not let it rule your life." They sat down at a nearby bench and Ziva took Tony's hand.

"Easier said than done," he said in a joking manner. "I know I didn't pull the trigger but I should have tried harder to keep her at the office. She shouldn't have been on that rooftop." Tony repeated the same thing he said to himself every single time he went back to Kate's death.

"Tony it was her job. You could not protect her from all danger especially in this type of job." Ziva was trying really hard for Tony to see reason.

"Did you know that she was pregnant? She shouldn't have been out on the field." Tony looked down at his hands as he fiddled with them. "If only I had told Gibbs. I shouldn't have listened to her. We should have told him." Tony looked down at his trembling hands. He knew the tears were there threating to spill at any second but he wouldn't let them. He could not break down once again. This was meant to be a fun day for them.

Ziva was stunned but she did not show it. Instead she tightened her hold on Tony's trembling hands. "I did not know that. I am so sorry Tony." He looked at their hands and placed his on top of hers.

"Yeah well there is nothing I can do now. No matter how much I wish for Kate to come back there is absolutely nothing I can do and it just kills me. I hate feeling so helpless." Tears started to fall but he quickly wiped them away when he saw that Isabella was walking over to them. He needed to compose himself. His daughter couldn't see him like this because it would only make her sad and he wasn't about to ruin their fun day.

"Daddy! Ziva! Did you see me? I made it all the way across the monkey bars." She came over running and speaking a mile a minute as she waved her hands around for emphasizes of just how amazing she was on the monkey bars.

"No I'm sorry sweetie. But will you show us again?" Tony asked her. She nodded and both Ziva and Tony got up from the bench and headed to the monkey bars so that this time they wouldn't miss it. She got up on the monkey bars and started on them slowly. "Look daddy! I'm doing it!" she screamed as she stretched her little arms as far as they would to grab the next bar.

"Tony you say you have failed her. But look at you. Given the circumstances she is a very happy girl and idolizes you like you have no idea. She looks at you the same that I used to my father." She put her hand on his forearm. "I think you are doing an excellent job." He smiled weakly at her and both returned to look at Isabella. "Very good tateleh." Ziva called out to her to make sure she knew they were watching.

"Thank you but I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you for putting up with me these last couple of weeks." He placed his hand on top of hers where it was on his forearm and gave it a squeeze.

"Ziva! Did you see me?" Isabella came over and asked excited.

"I did tateleh you did an excellent job." Ziva quickly removed her hand from Tony's forearm and ruffled Isabella's hair.

"Daddy did you see?" Isabella asked him now excited.

Ziva's senses kicked in and she looked in the direction of the trees. There she noticed a suspicious man hidden behind the trees. He was dressed in all black trying to blend in. He kept eyeing them and following their every movement. Ziva, not truly trusting the man, kept glancing his way whenever he wasn't watching.

"How about we go have our lunch now?" Tony suggested and they went to go find a nice place to set up. They continued to walk through the park looking for a spot suitable to sit down. Ziva glancing back to the man every so often. He had now come out of the trees and walked around the park trying to not bring up suspicion but Ziva knew better. Ziva told Tony to sit over by the children's jungle gym. She wanted to be able to keep a close eye on the man. Tony took out the blanket, placed it on the ground and then set the basket down. They all sat as Tony distributed the sandwiches, waters, and placed the bag of chips in the middle.

"Yummy," Ziva said after she took one bite of her sandwich. "I make the best sandwiches in the world." Ziva joked.

_It was a beautiful day when Kate suggested they go to the park to get out of the house for a while. Isabella was now nine months, starting to talk, and crawl all over the pace. They walked to the park from their apartment. Isabella was in her stroller and Kate and Tony were holding hands as he pushed the stroller. Every so often they would stop pushing the stroller and kiss. Tony was so in love with Kate that there weren't enough words to describe just how much in love he was with her. Kate felt the same way. Although it wasn't always like that; when they first had met they couldn't stand one another. It took them twenty minutes longer than normal to get to the park but they finally made it. They walked around the park before setting up somewhere for Isabella to crawl around. Many couples would walk by and congratulate them on their gorgeous daughter._

_After walking around the park they went to find a suitable place to sit and allow Isabella to crawl around. Kate took out a blanket from the stroller, placed it on the ground, and then let Isabella out of the stroller who was fussing that she was stuck in it. "Mama!" she kept calling until Kate came over and let her out._

_When Kate approached the stroller Isabella stretched out her arms demanding her mother's attention. "You are just as impatient as your father." Kate told her._

_"Hey, I am not impatient." Tony argued back. He took out the diaper bag from the stroller and placed it on the blanket._

_Kate sat down and placed Isabella on her lap. "Sure whatever you say honey." Kate told him in a sweet voice. Tony rolled his eyes and didn't say anything in return._

_"Mama down," Isabella ordered. She tried to wiggle out of Kate's lap. But each time Kate would catch her. She was starting to get frustrated and fussy that she wasn't allowed to roam. "Mama!" she shrieked again._

_"Bossy, just like her mommy." Tony said getting back at Kate for the comment she had said earlier. Kate released Isabella and let her crawl around._

_Kate started arguing with Tony and took her eyes off of Isabella for a second. "I'm not bossy Tony."_

_"Of course you aren't honey." Tony responded in a similar manner that Kate had responded to him. Kate looked back and saw that Isabella was already on the grass with a fistful of flowers._

_When Isabella caught sight of her mom she giggled and held up the flower. "What do you have there sweetie?"_

_"You mama." She held out her hand and started to crawl back towards Kate. "Mama wes."_

_Kate took the flowers out of Isabella's hand. "You got me flowers?"_

_"Yes," Isabella said very loudly._

_"What bout daddy?" Tony asked her making the pouty face that he knew would always make Isabella giggle._

_"No!" she screamed her favorite word. She crawled away, pulled out more flowers, and crawled back to her dad. She handed him the flowers. "Wes daddy."_

_"Thank you pumpkin." Tony told her as he kissed her on her forehead. Then Isabella pulled herself up with the support of Tony and gave him a big sloppy kiss on her cheek. Kate pulled out her cellphone and snapped a picture. She saved it and then set it as her new screen saver._

Throughout lunch Ziva would glance back to where the guy was sitting on the bench. She was getting very suspicious of the man. Isabella took off running while Tony and Ziva were distracted. She ran over to a tree that was full of butterfly weeds. She grabbed a fistful and ran back over to her dad. "Here daddy give Ziva these flowers and tell her she is pretty." She whispered in his ear.

"Do I have to?" he asked her. He felt very awkward and didn't want to do what Isabella asked.

"Yes daddy, now!" she ordered him. Ziva gave them a strange look. She didn't understand what was going on.

Tony sighed and took the flowers from Isabella's hand. "You are bossier than your mom you know that?"

Isabella rolled her eyes and pointed towards Ziva. He sighed but nonetheless held out the flowers. "Ziva these are for you. You are very gorgeous." He stared at her in the eyes.

She took the flowers and blushed. "Thank you Isabella." She looked over to her understanding what it was that Isabella was whispering about to Tony. "Thank you Tony." She smiled at him and he smiled back.

Tony felt awkward and so broke the silence. "Does daddy get flowers?" He asked Isabella.

"Of course Daddy!" she exclaimed, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and ran to collect more flowers to give to her dad.

"I'm sorry I didn't know she was going to do that. She's very bossy just like Kate was."

"Do not worry about it. I thought it was very sweet of her." Ziva looked away so that Tony could not see her blush. But it was too late he had noticed and smiled but didn't say anything. They were enjoying their time and he didn't want to ruin it by pointing that out and then having her hurt him.

Ziva looked over to Isabella because staring into Tony's eyes was becoming a little too much for her. She noticed that once again the man was staring at Isabella. Watching her every movement. Now concerned Ziva whispered to Tony. "See that man sitting on the bench." Tony nodded. "He has been staring at us the entire time. He keeps watching Isabella and moving spots."

"We should keep an eye on him. Be an NCIS agent not mossad and not charge over to him." Tony said casually to Ziva so not to raise suspicions. Isabella forgetting all about the flowers she had to take back to her dad ran back to the sand box to build a castle. Ziva's eyesight never living the man's sight sighed when she remembered a conversation she had to have with Tony. This would not be an easy conversation but it was one Tony needed to hear. "Have you cleaned out Kate's things?" Ziva asked him.

Tony not ready for this conversation stared off into the distance. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "No, I'm not ready for this. I'm not ready to say goodbye. I just can't part with her belongings." His voice breaking, the tears welling up in his eyes, but he shook them away not wanting another emotional breakdown.

"Tony you need to move on. Parting with Kate's things doesn't make her gone. You still have your memories hold on to those." Ziva told him. She placed her hand on his thigh as he enlightened Ziva with how Kate had told Tony they would be parents for the second time.

_Kate stood stunned as she starred at the white stick that read pregnant. The past few days she had felt sick mistaking it for the flu but Abby had suggested that maybe she was pregnant. As soon as Abby said this she started calculating back to her last period putting the pieces together she realized that it all made since she could be pregnant! Now as she starred at the stick she wondered how Tony would react to the news they had not really talked about having more children. She worried that Tony would not be ok with having another little DiNozzo. But then again he had changed a lot over the years. _

_Once Kate got over the shock she embraced the fact that soon there would be another baby in the house. She placed her hand gently on her non-existing baby bump. "Mommy loves you already; I promise your life will be filled with love, warmth, and happiness." She wiped her tears that escaped her without knowing; she put the stick back in the original box, stuck it under the sink, and walked into her room to grab her laptop. She wanted to surprise Tony in an interesting way, and she knew the perfect plan._

_Since Tony was still at the office and would be leaving soon, she asked him to pick up Spaghetti for dinner. Tony arrived home thirty minutes later. He walked through the front door exhausted, dropping his backpack by the front door, placing his suit jacket in the hall closet, and throwing his keys in the bin. He walked into the kitchen, where he knew Kate would be, placed a very much needed kiss on her lips, and handed her the spaghetti. "How was your day?" Kate asked Tony as she leaned into his chest and took in his smell. _

_Tony sighed placing a gentle kiss on the top of his wife's head. "Exhausting, I don't like it when you are not in the office." _

"_I had things I had to take care of today" Kate released from his hold, grabbed the spaghetti, and placed it into the boiling water._

_Tony loosened his tie as he walked over to the cupboards to grab a glass. "Where is the little munchkin?"_

_Kate continued to stir the spaghetti. "She is in her room." Tony nodded, and poured himself some juice. "Can you hand me the spaghetti sauce it's in the pantry" Tony walked over to the pantry, grabbed the sauce mindlessly, and handed it to Kate. Kate rolled her eyes at her husband's obliviousness. She handed him back the sauce and asked him to read what it said._

_Tony not understanding why Kate wanted him to do that, took a deep breath, but did what his wife asked. "Kate and Tony DiNozzo are Prego." He read. Kate stood there silently starring at her husband nervously, waiting for him to place the pieces together. He stood there for a moment confused, his eyes widened and his lips curled into a smile as he understands the message. "You're pregnant!" Tony asked Kate excitedly looking for confirmation. Kate nodded as a smile crept onto her face. An excited Tony embraced Kate and spun her around the kitchen. The boiling of the spaghetti brought them back to reality. _

"But you are right it is time to move on, packing up her stuff does not mean she is gone, she will forever be in my heart."

Ziva placed her hand on Tony's forearm. "I can watch Isabella for you tomorrow to give you space and time to grieve." They had both been so caught up in the past they had not noticed the creepy man approached Isabella on the swings.

"Hi, what is your name?" The man said as he sat on the swing next to Isabella.

Isabella said, "I do not talk to strangers." She jumped off the swing and the man grabbed her arm, before she could run away. He started to pull her back towards the woods, remembering what her parents had taught her about strangers, she started to scream for her dad and Ziva. Isabella started kicking and screaming trying to get out of the man's hold. "DADDY, ZIVA!"

Hearing Isabella scream they instantly turned their heads where she called for them. They noticed the man grabbing Isabella. Both instantly reached for their guns but their holsters were empty. The man was getting closer and closer to getting away, in an act of panic Tony screamed out as Ziva took off running. "DROP HER DIRTBAG!" Fearing that Ziva was closing in on him he dropped Isabella and took off running into the woods. Ziva ran after him as Tony ran to his daughter, his heart was racing, pounding, his face goes ghostly pale, as his blood rushed out of his face. He reached Isabella who was sitting against a tree crying, trembling, fearing that Ziva and her dad would not have found her in time and she would not see them ever again. Tony picked up Isabella immediately and reassured her that she was safe and ok that daddy had her, as he allowed her to break down not caring that she was soaking his shirt with her tears.

A few minutes later Ziva returned clearly pissed off that she was unable to catch the man. "Dammit he got away."

**Don't forget review!**


	7. It's Time

**[A/N Sorry that it has been a while since an update I haven busy with figure skating practice and getting ready for school. Just got a new laptop so I will be able to write more now. Thank you for your reviews. Hope you enjoy. Don't forget to review.]**

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS **

**Previously on Love is a Privilege**:

Hearing Isabella scream they instantly turned their heads where she called for them. They noticed the man grabbing Isabella. Both instantly reached for their guns but their holsters were empty. The man was getting closer and closer to getting away, in an act of panic Tony screamed out as Ziva took off running. "DROP HER DIRTBAG!" Fearing that Ziva was closing in on him he dropped Isabella and took off running into the woods. Ziva ran after him as Tony ran to his daughter, his heart was racing, pounding, his face goes ghostly pale, as his blood rushed out of his face. He reached Isabella who was sitting against a tree crying, trembling, fearing that Ziva and her dad would not have found her in time and she would not see them ever again. Tony picked up Isabella immediately and reassured her that she was safe and ok that daddy had her, as he allowed her to break down not caring that she was soaking his shirt with her tears.

A few minutes later Ziva returned clearly pissed off that she was unable to catch the man. "Dammit he got away."

**Chapter 7: It's Time**

The night before Kate appeared in Tony's dream. She looked absolutely ravishing, Tony had thought, she told him that it was time. That he couldn't hold on to the physical it wasn't healthy for either of them. That as long as he held on to the memories she would always be there. So, that morning he woke up determined to do the thing that he dreaded the most, pack up Kate's things. He got to business as soon as he woke up because he knew that as time progressed it would diminish. He called Abby to come and pick up Isabella; he didn't want to keep bothering Ziva with all of this, because Isabella wasn't her responsibility. When Abby arrived Isabella went into a full-blown meltdown. She kept crying that she didn't want to go. That she would only go if it was with Ziva. So Tony had no other choice but to call her down and apologize for once again burdening her with his daughter. But she waved it off and told him that she was more than happy to spend a day with Isabella.

As soon as Ziva and his daughter left for a woman's spa day, which at initially he had rolled his eyes at, he went start to the bedroom to start packing up all of Kate's things. He started with all her clothes, shoes and cosmetics. Once he cleared all of her stuff, except for pictures, letters and some other personal belongings from the closet he continued with the bathroom. Then he moved on to her jewelry. He got rid of everything except for her engagement ring and the cross necklace that he gave her for one of her birthdays. He wanted to give it Isabella so that she would never forget her mom.

_Tony had been carrying around an engagement ring in his pocket for about a week. He was nervous and scared that Kate would tell him no. He didn't know what he would do if she said no._

_He had struggled on how to propose. He didn't want to be the typical man to go to a restaurant and put the ring in champagne or a piece of food. He wanted to do something original something that screamed them. _

_But now he knew and was ready. The ring was burning a hole in his pocket he needed to do it today. He was trying to act as normal as possible. But it was hard when he was feeling nervous, sweating bullets, and shaking. He wanted everything to go smoothly and most importantly he needed her to say yes. She had to say yes. _

_But now it was all up to Gibbs so that everything would go smoothly. He walked into the squad room in his usual manner, went to his desk, grabbed his badge and gun. "Gear up," he ordered. "DiNozzo you're riding with Ducky. Kate, McGee, you're with me." He ordered them. _

_"Boss why am I riding with Ducky?" Tony whined. _

_"Because I said so DiNozzo. Do you have a problem with that?" He gave him a don't mess with me look. _

_"No boss." Tony took off to go look for Ducky. Kate and McGee followed after Gibbs. _

_Of course with Gibbs driving they made it to the yacht marina before Tony and Ducky. Gibbs sent McGee to take pictures and Kate to take statements. "Gibbs what kind of lunatic did you send me to? He said he has no idea about what's happening. He said there is no dead body." She argued. _

_Ducky and Tony arrived and Gibbs ordered Kate to go help Ducky out with unloading the gurney. "Why can't Tony do it he rode in with Ducky?" She argued._

_"Oh no my dear. I'm afraid Anthony never came to find me." Ducky told her as he opened one side of the truck and Kate did the other. _

_Tony was standing in the back of the NCIS truck in a suit. "Caitlin Todd, you are the woman of my dreams. The love of my life. I can't imagine my life without you. I never believed in soul mates until I met you. I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you." He pulled out the ring and presented it to her. "Will you marry me?" Tony was barely able to breath, let alone hold the box that contained in his hands steadily. This was it. The make it or break it point. Kate could either say yes or no and he preferred it be the first. _

_Kate was speechless. She had not been expecting this whatsoever. She was ready to chew out Tony for skipping out on a crime scene. But here he was looking as handsome as ever standing in the middle of a truck saying wonderful things and proposing. She couldn't speak she was so overwhelmed. Her throat was constricted and she couldn't manage to say the one word she wanted to say. Tears started to fall and she noticed Tony sweating bullets. So she nodded. "Yes Tony I will marry you." The tears feel and she didn't care if it made her look weak in front of the men. She was just so happy. She jumped into the truck and hugged Tony. He picked her up and twirled her around, then set her back down, and placed the ring on he left ring finger. Kate looked at her hand and smiled. "The ring is gorgeous." It was simple yet elegant. It had diamonds around the band and then one big circular diamond in the middle. It was beautiful and perfect. _

_They kissed passionately forgetting the world around them. The only thing that mattered in that moment was them. But they were interrupted by Gibbs clearing his throat. They both blushed from embarrassment. Tony took Kate's hand and they got off the truck. McGee, Ducky and Gibbs came over to congratulate them. "You all knew this was a fake crime scene?" She asked them. _

_"I'm afraid so my dear Caitlin." Ducky answered apologetically. _

_"You let me make a fool out of myself with one of the managers in charge of this place." She accused Gibbs pointing a very threatening finger at him. _

_"Yes and I'm not sorry. Look why it led to." He pointed to her finger and she couldn't help but smile. "Well we need to be going. McGee drive back with Ducky." He ordered and left Tony and Ziva to continue on with their celebration. _

_"This way my darling fiancée." Tony pulled her towards one of the yachts. Kate smiled at the word fiancée. They got on to one of the yachts she noticed that the floor was covered in rose petals and inside was a well. There was a small table with chocolate covered strawberries and champagne. _

_"All of this is for me?" She asked amazed as she walked around the yacht staring at everything. _

_"Yes," Tony blushed. He was very nervous about all of this. He felt a bit better now that Kate had said yes. _

_Kate walked over to him and gave him a kiss. "You're amazing and I love you." She told him. That afternoon was spent wonderfully between the newly engaged couple leading to some very pleasant boat sex. _

Tony left the ring and necklace in her jewelry box. He then proceeded to clean out her drawers. In them she mostly found his t-shirts, sweats and sweatshirts. He smiled she always loved to wear his work out clothes. He picked up a shirt and smelled it. It smelled like her. He placed it back and decided to leave her drawers intact. He skipped her nightstand he wanted to leave that for last. He went out to the living room and started on all her books.

_Today was the day that Kate was moving in with Tony. He had finally built up the courage to ask her and she had agreed. Kate had warned him that before they organized anything there would be a massive cleaning out of Tony's apartment. First it started with his DVD collection so that she could fit her books. "Tony I'm sorry to inform you that you are going to have to move some of your precious movies because I need space to put my books." She said as she opened her book box. _

"_No not my babies." Tony ran over to his movie case and hugged them. _

_Kate laughed at Tony's actions. "I'm not asking you to get rid of your movies. I'm just asking you to move some of them." Kate went up to Tony, put her hands on his chest, and then gave him a kiss. "Please?"_

_Tony kissed Kate on the top of her head and then finally gave in. "Okay," He told her. He turned to the movie case and removed the movies from two shelves. "Will that be enough space for you?" he asked her. _

"_Plenty, thank you Tony." She gave him another kiss because she understood how hard it was for him to do that. After that they flopped themselves down on the couch to take a break. When Kate hit the couch she groaned. "Tony your couch is horrible." She complained to him. _

"_We can use yours if you'd like." He compromised before this turned into a useless fight. _

"_What if we just sold both our furniture and bought new ones. That way it's not your furniture or it's my furniture but ours." Kate explained. _

"_Yeah, we can go look this weekend." Tony put an arm around Kate's shoulders and kissed her on her temple. Kate nodded. She was glad that Tony had agreed so easily._

_Kate padded Tony on his thigh and got up from the couch. "Okay we need to continue." Kate went into the bedroom and brought her suitcases in. Kate went over to the dresser and started taking Tony's clothes out of some of the drawers so she could put her clothes in. _

_Tony walked in and noticed that his clothes were on his bed. "What are my clothes doing on the bed?" Tony asked Kate. _

"_I need some drawers to put in my clothes." She continued to place her clothes in the drawers._

"_Do you really need that many?" Kate had taken about two thirds of the drawers in the dresser. _

"_Yes Tony. You don't need them all you barely had if any clothes in some of them. I'm a woman I need space." She argued. _

"_Oh boy." Tony whispered under his breath. Tony went to the closet to make space for Kate before she threw out all of his clothes. _

_Kate finished with the drawers and headed to the closet to put in the rest of the clothes. "Tony I need more space than that." She told him. _

"_Try to fit what you can and this weekend we will buy another small dresser to put in the closet." Tony tried to tell her so that she wouldn't throw his clothes out. They finished up with the closet, and then moved to the bathroom and finally he gave her one nightstand. Hours later they were finally done moving Kate in. Tony shuddered at the thought that this weekend they would have to clear some stuff out to put in the new furniture. He did not want to go through this once again. _

_Kate went to take a shower while Tony called for a pizza. He sat on the couch exhausted. He looked around and smiled. It already felt homier. Like him and Kate had been living together for years. Technically ever since they dated they either had stayed at hers or his but they were always together. But now it was official and her stuff was here. Tony felt so mature and grown up. He couldn't believe how much he had grown up since he started dating Kate. No more crazy parties, show up home drunk, or sleeping with random people. He finally felt like he had settled down and found his one true love. _

_Kate came out of the bathroom and Tony jumped in quickly. The pizza arrived and they both sat down on the couch to enjoy the rest of their afternoon. They watched a F.R.I.E.N.D.S marathon and ate pizza. Kate was leaning against Tony and he had his arm around her shoulder. He kissed her on the head and then looked at her. "I'm glad you moved in."_

"_I'm glad I moved in too." She smiled and kissed his shoulder. _

"Now I can return my movies to its place." Tony joked trying to lighten the mood. But it had not helped it only made him more emotional. He had now packed up all of Kate's belongings except for her nightstand that would be the hardest. But he needed to do it because Isabella would be home soon and he wanted this done before she did. Tony took a deep breath and took out of her drawer. He started by packing up the current book she was reading, then found all the pictures that Isabella had made for her that she kept in her drawer for safe keeping. He couldn't throw those away so he put those aside so that he could make a photo album for Isabella. He found a tin box that Kate had in the very back. He opened it and found that it contained little things from her favorite memories.

There was hers and Isabella's hospital bracelet from when she was born, a picture of the three of them taken at the hospital right after they were born, their wedding invitation, and a few other things that she kept in there. Tony was about to throw it in the box but he couldn't do it. He couldn't bring himself to just throw something like that away. So, he kept it in her nightstand. That way they would always have a piece of Kate with them somehow.

He found a to-do list that wasn't complete. She had simply things like, clean out Isabella's toys and clothes, go grocery shopping, take the car to get serviced, and buy Tony's anniversary gift. Everything was checked off except the last one. He smiled bitter sweetly he always made fun of her for making her obsessive lists but now he would miss them. He couldn't throw it away no matter how idiotic it seemed for him to keep it he just couldn't. He shoved it in his pocket and took the box out with the others.

"_Katie what are you doing?" Tony asked her as he got the juice out of the fridge to serve him self a glass. _

"_Making a list of the things I need to get done." She said as she continued to write out her list. _

"_You're always making those list. I swear you have OCD. Maybe we should get it checked out." He joked. He never understood why woman always made lists and needed to be super organized. He didn't make lists and always managed to get the things he needed done. Well okay sometimes. _

"_I don't want to forget something important. It's better to write it down the moment you think of it before you forget it." She answered defensively. _

_Tony set down his glass and walked over to Kate. He started to Kiss down her shoulder, flipped her hair, and continued to kiss up her neck. "Why don't you forget about the list and come with me?"_

"_Tony I can't I need to finish this." She said but the truth was she was finding it hard to concentrate on what she was doing. He continued to kiss her up her neck, behind her ear, and down her neck again, until he reached her clavicle. He kissed it, taunting her, attempting to distract her so that hopefully she would cave and go with him. "Okay okay," she caved and followed him into the bedroom. _

_Tony threw her onto the bed, tearing off her shirt, and kissing her on her stomach. Kate took off his with his help and she dug her hands in his hair as he continued to kiss her. Soon after all of their clothes was lost and abandoned all over the floor they quickly were in sync and found their rhythm. They went for three rounds and were left exhausted. They were both cuddled up under the covers, Tony lying on his back with an arm around Kate and she curled up to him tracing circles on his chest. "Now you see why I make lists because after something like this I've already forgotten everything I needed to do."_

"_Well if making lists means that I get to do more of this." He kissed her on the lips gently sending shudders through Kate's body. "Then by all means continue to do them and I will no longer make fun of you." He kissed her once again. _

"_Is that all you ever think about?" Kate asked him as he pushed him off of her. _

"_No I think about other things." He answered defending himself. Sure he was a man but he didn't always think about that certain thing. He thought of other things. _

"_Like?" Kate raised her eyebrow, sat up on the bed, and turned to look at him. This should be good she thought. She couldn't wait to hear what stupidities Tony would say now. _

"_Well about how gorgeous you look." He moved a piece of her bangs out of her hair. "How lucky I am to be married to you and how we should practice again for the baby making." He said in the hopes that all of those compliments would put Kate in the mood. _

"_Tony those all somehow or another lead to sex." Kate got on top of Tony, started to kiss his chest and traced circles on his chest and blowing seductively in his ear. _

"_Should I take this," he pointed to what Kate what doing, "as a yes for more practice?" He asked hopeful. He loved being able to be intimate with his wife. Kate kept kissing him slowly moving down his body. Tony took that as a yes and made his move. For the rest of the afternoon Kate and Tony spent it in their bed only getting up once to answer the door and get the Chinese take out they had ordered in. After that they had not moved from the bed. They stayed in, ate their food, watched TV, and practiced some more. _

A knock at the door brought Tony out of his memory. He got up from the couch, wiped his tears and opened the door. "Daddy!" Isabella yelled and jumped up to Tony's arms.

"Hey sweetie how was your day with Ziva?" Tony looked over at Ziva and smiled. He moved to allow her to come in.

"It was awesome daddy. We did lots of fun things." Isabella told him excitedly.

"Like?" Tony raised his eyebrow curious as to what they had done.

"That is for us to know and you to never find out." Ziva responded. Tony laughed and rolled his eyes but he dropped the topic. "I need to be going." Ziva told them and walked towards the door.

"Thank you Ziva for everything." He thanked her and she left. "Sweetie I have something for you." He walked towards his bedroom, pulled out the jewelry box and took out the cross necklace.

"Mommy's necklace!" She was very excited. She always admired Kate's necklace and wanted one just like it but her parents said that when she was older.

"Yeah I want you to have it. So, you can always remember mommy." He put the necklace on her and she smiled.

"I love it." She smiled and grabbed the necklace and held it in her hand.

"Now mommy will always be with you." Tony smiled, as did Isabella.

"Daddy?" Isabella asked out of the blue.

"Yes sweetie?" Tony went over to sit on the bed.

"Could I sleep with mommy's pillow?" She asked nervously as she played with her hands.

"Why?" He asked her curiously.

"I schweep wif one of her shirts but it no smell like her no more. So I want to schweep wif her pillow. I feel like mommy is still here." She never took her eyes off of her hands.

"Sure sweetie." He grabbed Kate's pillow and placed it beside him. Then he rubbed Isabella's back to make her feel better.

"I miss mommy, daddy." She placed her hand against his chest and cried. Tony tried to soothe her but her cries only made him sad especially after the day he had had. It was a surprise that after what he went through today he was still functioning. He had packed away his memories, the love of his life, and any evidence that she had ever excited. It wasn't something that a person looked forward to. Nobody should have to go through the pain that Tony was going through. It wasn't natural for a husband to have to bury their wife at such a young age.

"I know you do," He kissed her forehead, "because I do too."

**I hope this chapter was worth the wait. School starts in a week so I hope that I will be able to set a schedule once it starts again. Please don't forget to review and make my day! **


	8. What are You Doing Here?

**A/N Hey guys so sorry it's been a while. But I've been very busy lately. College has started up again so I will not have as much free time as I did this summer. Thankfully I have written a couple of chapters ahead. I want to establish a schedule though updates will be Tuesdays and Fridays. I promise to try my best to keep up with it. Thank you all for your revies, favorites and follows. You guys keep this story going. Enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS unfortunately**

**Previously on Love is a Privilege:**

"I miss mommy, daddy." She placed her hand against his chest and cried. Tony tried to soothe her but her cries only made him sad especially after the day he had had. It was a surprise that after he went through today he was functioning. He had packed away his memories, the love of his life, and any evidence that she had every excited. It wasn't something that a person looked forward to. Nobody should have to go through the pain that Tony was going through. It wasn't natural for a husband to have to bury their wife at such a young age.

"I know you do." He kissed her forehead "because I do too."

**Chapter 8: What are you doing here?**

A few days had passed since Tony had packed up all of Kate's belongings. The first day had been tough but with each day that passed the pain was becoming easier to bear. Isabella was back at preschool and Tony was acting like his old self once again.

They were all sitting at their desks waiting to see if they had a new case. That always happened when they were caught up on their paper and had absolutely nothing to do. McGee stopped what he was doing and went to stand next to Tony's desk. "I uh wanted to invite you guys over for dinner. There is someone I would like for you to meet." McGee said nervously. Things had been getting serious with his girlfriend and he wanted to introduce her to the team.

"Is it the mystery girl you have been seeing for a while now?" Tony wheeled around in his chair and smiled at McGee.

"Yes. So, I want you on your best behavior." He pointed to Tony and then looked at Ziva. "Can you make sure he is on his best behavior?" He asked Ziva.

"Of course McGee and I look forward to meeting her." Ziva placed her head on her hands and gave Tony a threatening look.

"Is she an elf lord as well?" Tony snickered.

Tim walked away and went back to his desk. "I'm done with this."

Tony wheeled his chair closer to McGee's. "I'm only joking McGoo." He patted him on the back but was interrupted from mocking him further because his desk phone rang. "Send him up." His face suddenly stiffened, he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. _What did he want now? There is always something._

Both Ziva and McGee gave Tony a curious look. "My dads here?" He said more for his benefit than for the others. He was really stunned to hear that his father was here. The last time he had heard from his was Isabella's first birthday. Then after that it was like he had disappeared from the map. No birthday cards, emails, letters, or phone calls.

Tony's was pulled out from his thoughts by the ding of the elevator, his dad walked out of the elevator and approached Tony's desk. "Hello Junior." The older man tried to go in for a hug but Tony held out his hand instead. The man looked at it for a couple of seconds before frowning and agreeing to shake his hand.

"Hello dad. What are you doing here?" Tony sat back down in his chair not bothering to offer his dad somewhere to sit. McGee and Ziva just watched at the interactions intently. They had always wandered what the man that raised Tony DiNozzo, playboy fanatic, comedian, and woman's man, looked like.

"Can't a father visit his son?" Tony Sr. asked seriously losing all together that smile that he had worn before coming here. He was excited to see his son was once again especially since it had been a while to either see or hear from him.

"You haven't visited since my wedding and the last time I heard from you was a call from when Isabella turned one and a measly letter on my birthday. I'm sorry if all this leads me to believe that you have ulterior motives." Tony said defensively.

"You could have called. I can't always be the one to want to work on our relationship." The man defended himself. Lately it seemed as though he was the only interested in making amends. He felt Tony didn't want to let go of all the anger he had bottled up inside from his childhood. But he couldn't blame him he had a right to that anger.

At that Tony couldn't help but chuckle. "I have several times. You didn't answer any of my calls or emails. Isabella and Kate wanted to congratulate you on your birthday. Then again on father's day and many other times after that." Tony pinched the bridge of his nose.

Before things could turn into a full-blown argument Ziva walked over to introduce herself. She also wanted to give Tony a moment to compose himself. "Hello Mr. DiNozzo. I am Ziva David."

Tony Sr. looked Ziva up and down. "My, my, you are a very gorgeous woman." He grabbed her hand and kissed it. Ziva flushed at the flattery and went back to her desk. He wanted so bad of a man so why did Tony hate him Ziva could not understand.

After a heated discussion with Gibbs the director walked out of his office and ordered Gibbs's team to go home and get some rest. They had just wrapped up a very demanding case and now they deserved a day off to catch up on some much needed and welcomed sleep. Before the director could say otherwise they grabbed their gear but Tony was blocked access to the elevator by his father. "Where are you going Junior?"

Tony flung his backpack on his shoulder. "I have to go pick up Isabella, you know your granddaughter, from daycare." Tony said annoyed. His dad's presence brought out all the bad things from childhood and that caused him to react in a defensive and an aggressive manner. He would never be able to forgive his dad for everything he had done to him. Especially making him go through the death of his mother alone, for ditching him in boarding school and not caring about him. But when Tony saw his dad's face he instantly felt guilty. He might have done all of those things but he was still his dad. Tony sighed, pinched his nose, and looked up at his dad. "Would you like to come with me?" He couldn't believe he had voluntarily asked his dad to come with him.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to cause any trouble." Tony's dad's hands started sweating and he started rubbing them on his jacket.

"I'm sure your granddaughter would like to meet you." Tony grabbed his jacket, told Ziva he would pick her up at seven thirty, told McGee he would see him later, and then got on the elevator accompanied by his dad.

They drove to the daycare but it was filled with awkward silence. Tony's dad was nervous about talking with his son and Tony was stuck between feeling guilty and being angry. He didn't know which one to go with. "Dad why are you really here?" No matter what Tony's dad said there was a reason he was here. There was always a reason. He didn't just stop by he wasn't that type of guy.

Tony SR sighed and ran a hand through his face. "Nothing gets past you does it junior." Tony just glared at him. He wanted an honest answer. "Your boss called me a few days ago and told me what had happened with Kate. I'm really sorry son. I know what it's like."

"Yeah thanks dad." Tony continued to look out the road. He couldn't handle to stare at his dad at this moment or he would rip his throat out. Why was he caring how he felt now? He didn't care when mother died so why did he care now.

"How are you holding up?" Tony SR tried to hold up the conversation. He wanted to be closer to his son. But this was all new territory for them and he didn't know how to go about doing that. He was sweating bullets but he had promised himself that he would talk with his son.

"Can we just not do this right now?" Tony gripped the steering wheel. His knuckles were turning completely white and he was so close to blowing up with his father.

"I just want to talk junior. See how you're doing. No need to get defensive." Tony SR said seriously. He knew this wouldn't be easy especially of all the water under the bridge between them. But he didn't think it would be so hard either.

That was it. Tony's fuse broke. He could no longer take it. Tony took his eyes off the rode for a second. "You want to know how I feel?" He screamed. But his dad still nodded. "It's like a piece of me has been ripped out. The woman I love is dead how do you think I feel? I'm devastated some days I couldn't get out of bed. Other days I can barely handle myself. But I move forward because I have a daughter who needs me. She is devastated as well but unlike you I don't tell her to suck it up and grow up. I'm actually there for her." Tony sighed. He would never forgive his dad for what he did to him after his mom died but he didn't need to throw it in his father's face either. "I'm sorry."

"Junior, I was going through a hard time. I wasn't as strong as you are. I didn't know how to handle myself and console you as well. You honestly still can't be mad at me?"

"Well I am dad. I basically had to raise myself." They arrived at the preschool and Tony pulled in to a visitor parking spot.

"Junior, I-"

"Forget it." Tony got out of the car and slammed the door. Leaving Tony SR alone I process everything that had happened.

Tony came back a few minutes later with Isabella. She got in the back seat and stared at the man seating in the passenger seat. "Daddy who that?"

"That's your grandpa." Tony answered.

"Oh," was all Isabella said and looked out the window. She knew about her grandpa with the same name as her daddy but she had never met him.

"So how about I invite you guys for some milkshakes?" Tony SR asked hoping he could speak with his son again. He didn't want to leave everything like this. There was much more they still needed to talk about.

"Yeah daddy, can we?" Isabella's shrieked.

"No sorry sweetie I'm going to uncle McGee's house and you are going with Palmer." Tony turned to look at his dad.

"Awe daddy can I go with Ziva instead?" She whined. She didn't really like going to Palmer's house. It was really boring and he didn't have a lot of fun things to play with.

"Ziva is coming with me." Tony said.

"I can watch her at your place if you don't mind." Tony's father offered. Although he hadn't been present in his son's life he would make up for it with being there for his granddaughter.

"I don't have a problem." Tony looked in the rear view mirror. "Pumpkin do you want to stay at home with grandpa?" Tony seriously doubted that she would stay with him. But he did so not to hurt his father's feelings.

Isabella considered her pros and cons before answering them. "Okay I stay with grandpa." She said.

They got to the apartment and Tony headed straight for the shower. He needed to start getting ready and get all the other two settled if he was going to make it in time to pick up Ziva. Isabella took it upon herself to show her grandpa around the apartment. She started with her room showing him all the things she had drawn, all her stuff animals, and the photo album from when she was little.

Tony came out a half an hour later dressed in dark jeans, some moccasins, a blue button up shirt, and cream-colored V-neck sweater on top. He checked his watch. He had just enough time to pick up Ziva and get to McGee's apartment. He walked to Isabella's room to give her a kiss. "Pumpkin good night." He turned to his dad. "Bed time is in an hour. There is lasagna in the fridge, make sure she gets a bath, and she'll show you her pjs. She'll also probably ask you to read her a story. If you have any problems my cell is on. I'll also leave you Ziva's so that you can call her if you can't get a hold of me." Tony went over everything. It was the first time his dad was watching Isabella. It was also the first time they had meet and Tony was very nervous to say the least.

"Don't worry Junior I got it. Go have fun." His dad waved a hand at him so he could get going.

"Oh you can lie Isabella down in my bed and you can take hers." Tony SR smiled and Tony walked out after he gave his daughter one last kiss.

He reached Ziva's house at exactly seven thirty like he had promised. "You are on time." Ziva said surprised. Tony wasn't one for punctuality. He was always late to wherever he went. She had only seen him be on time for work when it was a special occasion.

"I'm always on time." Tony argued now getting the full extent of what Ziva was wearing. She was wearing a turquoise dress that went to mid knee. It was sleeveless and had a square neckline. It was very simple but she looked amazing. Her hair was down in her natural curls and she had just enough make up to where she looked gorgeous.

Ziva noticed Tony staring at her and she felt a bit uncomfortable. She started picking at her face wondering if she had anything on it. "What I have grown two noses?"

"Two head. It's grown two head and no you look very gorgeous tonight." Tony stuttered. He felt very awkward. He was used to seeing Ziva in her cargo pants and t-shirts. Occasionally she would dress up for work but never to this extent.

"Thank you Tony. You look handsome yourself." Now it was Ziva's turn to blush.

The car ride was very silent until Ziva spoke up. "So what is your father doing here? "

"Apparently Gibbs called him and told him about Kate. I left Isabella with him tonight. I'm just hoping I didn't make a huge mistake." Tony started to panic. Hopefully bedtime wouldn't be a tragedy.

"I think she will be fine. I think it is good that she will get to meet her grandfather." Ziva told him.

"It might be the only time she gets to meet him. So maybe you have a point." Tony knew that his father wouldn't be like Gibbs. She'd be able to count more on Gibbs than her actual grandpa and Kate's parents show no sign of every wanting to come back.

"What do you mean?" Ziva asked. She didn't know much about Tony's past or the type of relationship he held with his father.

"He's not the kind of guy to just pop in for visits. We don't really talk and I don't really want to because when you need him the most is when he disappears." Tony kept his eyes on the rode he was scared to death to look Ziva in the eyes.

"Looks like we both have daddy issues." Ziva joked trying to lighten the mood. But thankfully they had arrived to McGee's apartment stirring them from an awkward conversation.

When they got to the door Tony stopped Ziva from knocking. "Before we go in I would just like to thank you for all your help." He smiled sincerely and Ziva could see that in his eyes was pure sincerity. She smiled back and then knocked on the door.

McGee came out and took them into the kitchen where his girlfriend was waiting to meet them. "Guys this is my girlfriend Amy. Amy this is Ziva and Tony." Tony was totally stunned he couldn't believe that McGee was able to convince such a pretty girl to go out with him in the first place. She was nerdy but gorgeous. She had blonde hair, blue eyes, and was about five three.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both. I have heard so much about you. Tim talks about the two of you all the time." McGee excused himself and went over to his bedroom to get something. "I'm assuming this is your wife." She had clearly mixed up Ziva and Kate.

They both almost choked on their own spit and their bodies tensed awkwardly. "She umh isn't my wife." Tony stuttered.

Amy felt very awkward. She had sure put her foot in her mouth. "I'm sorry I just assumed. I'm very sorry." They both nodded taking in her apology but they unconsciously moved from each other. "Can I get you guys something to drink?"

"I'm fine thank you." Tony turned to look at Ziva who kept staring at the floor.

"Some water will be fine." Amy went back to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water. "Thank you."

McGee came back out of the bedroom saving them from another awkward silence. He placed the house phone back on the base and came to were the others where standing. He didn't seem to sense the awkwardness that lingered in the room." Abby said she can't make it so it looks like it's just us."

_Great if things couldn't get anymore awkward, _Tony thought_._ To an outsider it would look like two couples having dinner. Tony rubbed his belly and ran a hand through his hair. "What's for dinner?" Tony asked.

"I made lasagna, Cesar salad, and garlic bread." Amy replied. Tony licked his lips and his mouth started to water. Amy chuckled and went to check on the lasagna. "Dinners ready. Tim, can you set the table?" Amy asked Tim as she placed the lasagna on the stovetop so it could cool off.

Tim went to the kitchen to grab glasses, silverware and place mats. "Tony, can you help me bring the salad and garlic bread over?" McGee asked Tony as he tried to juggle everything he had in his hand. Tony went in to the kitchen and grabbed everything that Tony ordered him to.

"What can I do to help?" Ziva asked as she stood awkwardly in the spot she had been standing in the entire time.

"We have everything why don't you go ahead and sit down." McGee told her. She nodded and headed towards the table. Tony had already placed his things on the table and pulled out a chair so that Ziva could sit down.

She sat down and thanked Tony. He pushed her in and then sat to her right. McGee came over to the table and offered them both wine. They accepted and McGee poured them each a glass. McGee poured himself and his girlfriend some wine as well and then sat down across from Ziva. Amy came back over with the lasagna and sat down to Ziva's left. "Bon appetite." Amy told them and Tony dug right in serving him a large serving. Italian was his favorite food obviously.

"Merci," Ziva said and went for the salad.

"You speak French?" Amy asked Ziva.

"Oui," Ziva replied. "You are French yes?" Amy had a heavy French accent and anyone could spot it.

"But your accent it isn't French." Amy replied confused. Tony and McGee just stared at each other like saying women.

"No I am Israeli." Ziva replied taking a serving of the lasagna.

Tony stepped in. "Ziva here is a total bad ass and speaks ten different languages." Tony took a bite of the lasagna. "This is amazing lasagna by the way." Tony took another bite of it.

"Thank you. Now that I have already made a fool of myself I think I'll do it just one more time. Timmy said you were married but now that I know that Ziva isn't your wife may I ask why you didn't bring your wife?" Amy asked. She wasn't informed of everything that had occurred because she had been in France the last three weeks visiting her family. McGee choked on a piece of lasagna and both Tony and Ziva stiffened.

"Well my wife uh Kate well she uh died not too long ago." Tony said. It was still hard to talk about. He thankfully didn't cry but it still made him sad. Ziva sensed how his body stiffened and she placed a hand on his thigh letting him know she was there.

"I'm very sorry. I told you I would make a full of myself." Amy said hoping that a joke would lighten the mood but it didn't

Tony stayed quiet, as did Ziva and McGee spoke up to save his girlfriend. "Amy's been in France until today and I really didn't have a chance to speak with her. I'm sorry Tony." McGee apologized. He felt horrible he knew how hard of all of this had been on him and he was finally starting to be himself. He just hoped this wouldn't set him back on all his progress.

Tony needed a moment to compose himself. He got up, excused himself and went out to the balcony. He pulled out his cellphone and rung his dad. He knew it was close to bedtime and he wanted to say goodnight. "Hello?" DiNozzo SR. answered.

"Dad how's everything going." Tony asked. In the background he could hear Isabella screaming to have just five more minutes. He chuckled Isabella was a night owl just like him. She wasn't much of a morning person unlike Kate who was the exact opposite of them.

"Everything is fine junior. I just forgot how active a child could be. But everything is fine." Isabella pulled on her grandpa's arm trying to talk with her dad. "Hold on junior Isabella wants to speak with you." DiNozzo SR handed the phone over to Isabella.

"Daddy?" Isabella spoke in to the phone.

"Hey pumpkin. You should be in bed." Tony told her. He approached the railings and rested his arms on there as he stared into the night. He felt so lonely, so lost without Kate with him.

"I no want to go to bed yet. I wait for you." Isabella was running around the apartment apparently dinner had given her way more energy. Bath time had been a commotion as well. Isabella had wanted a bubble bath but grandpa couldn't find them and so getting her to bathe in a regular bath had been a challenge. She kept splashing her grandpa because he hadn't added bubbles. Then getting her dressed had been another challenge. She kept saying no to all her PJs and said she wanted to wear one of her mom's NISC shirts. Dinner had been the easiest thing. She was so hungry she ate everything she had been served.

"No sweetie. I will be home late and tomorrow we have a big day planned so you need to go to bed." Tomorrow was Fourth of July and the team planned a BBQ at Gibbs house. It would be Ziva's first Fourth of July and the first one without Kate. That thought alone made Tony frown.

"Okay daddy night night I love you." Isabella kissed the phone loudly so her dad could hear.

"Goodnight sweetie. I love you. Sweet dreams muah. Let me talk to your grandpa." Isabella handed the phone back to her grandpa and disappeared into her father's room.

"Yea junior?" DiNozzo SR went after his granddaughter. He was determined to put her to bed.

"Dad she needs to go to bed so read her a story and she'll be out like a light." Tony sighed.

"Got it. Enjoy your night." He hung up; DiNozzo SR looked down and saw Isabella between the covers holding a book.

Tony hung up the phone, ran a hand through his face and hair and went back inside. "I have not been here long so tomorrow will be a total new experience for me." Ziva said as Tony took his seat next to her." She stared at him as he took a seat and when he noticed he saw that her eyes were full of concern. He nodded that he was okay and they went back to dinner as if nothing had happened. They continued dinner having small talk and getting to know one another.

"Anyone want desert?" Amy asked as she got up to go get the cheesecake she had made. She returned with the cake and McGee brought over new plates and forks while tony refilled everyone's glass.

"Amy made it from scratch. She's an amazing baker and actually has her own bakery here in DC." McGee bragged for his girlfriend.

Both Tony and Ziva took a bite. It was the best cheesecake they had ever had in their life. "This is absolutely amazing." Ziva said as she took another bite of the cheesecake. Amy smiled and served herself a piece.

After dessert Tony and McGee went out to the balcony with a beer to talk about whatever it was they talked about. While the woman stayed in the living and downed a bottle of wine each. "You did good McGee. I like her. She seems like an amazing woman congratulations." Tony placed a hand on McGee's shoulder.

"Thanks Tony that really means a lot." Even though sometimes they didn't act like it. They really cared about one another. They were like dysfunctional brothers. McGee really looked up to Tony. Well the non-goofball part of Tony. But he would never ever admit that to him. "How are you holding up?" McGee asked him. He knew he wouldn't get a real answer out of Tony but it was worth a shot.

"As well as someone who just lost a wife would be." Tony answered he really couldn't talk to anyone except for Kate about his feelings and well now Ziva. But she just seemed to be able to get it out of him.

"Tony I'm being serious here. I actually want to know how you are doing?" McGee said a bit frustrated. He knew that he wouldn't get an honest answer out of Tony but that was ridiculous.

"I know. I'm sorry." Tony looked at his beer so he wouldn't have to look at Tim. "The pain is still there and not a day goes by that I don't think about Kate. But it gets better to deal with everyday. Isabella has seemed to accept it but there are still times she begs for her mom. She sleeps with her pillow because it smells like Kate but at this point I seriously doubt it still does." Tony looked into the living room and rested his gaze on Ziva. "Ziva's been a big help through all of this too."

Tim looked at Tony with a worried expression. "Tony is something going on between you and Ziva because you know Gibbs would not be okay with another breaking of rule twelve." McGee was worried that if something was going on. One would eventually hurt the other and things would not end well. Gibbs had now reinstated rule twelve after things got a bit out of hand at NCIS when Abby's date was caught cheating on Abby. He now knew that Tony and Kate were a special case but rule twelve had to be reinstated.

"No McGee. How could you think that? For god sakes Kate just died. I love her very much and wouldn't just forget about her and move on so easily." Tony had a disgusted look on his face and took another sip of his beer.

"I'm sorry that's not what I meant. I'm just worried. I wouldn't want either of you to end up getting hurt that's all. The both of you are like family. I've worked with you a long time. You're like a brother to me." McGee figured he would regret this but knew it needed to be said.

"Thanks McGee. Your like my younger geeky brother." Tony joked but was serious about what he meant. There it was, they couldn't have a serious conversation without Tony screwing it up with a joke Tim thought.

Back inside the women were chatting it up as well. "So what's going on with you and Tony?" Amy asked. She wasn't good at being subtle.

"Nothing Tony and I are just partners. I have been helping him since his wife died. It has not been easy for him or his daughter." Ziva grabbed her wine glass and took a sip so that she wouldn't have to look Amy in the eyes.

"Okay but I see the way you look at each other. That's way more than a coworker looks at each other." Amy smiled she knew she had Ziva now.

"We are partners we know how to read one another that is all there is to it." Tony walked in to the living room telling Ziva it was time to go. Tony could tell from the way she wobbled as she tried to stand that Ziva was tipsy. It was a good thing they had brought one car. A sober Ziva was a bad enough driver he couldn't imagine her in this state.

"It was nice to meet you Amy." Tony told Amy. "I'll see you tomorrow." Tony told McGee, steadied Ziva and left. He placed her in the car and she immediately fell asleep. Tony just smiled as he stared at a sleeping Ziva. She had drunk a whole body of wine. She would have one hell of a headache tomorrow Tony thought. He drove off. The entire car ride had been silent and Tony spaced out, forgot Ziva was with him, so by force of habit he drove straight home. When he arrived to his apartment he remembered that Ziva had been in the car. "Crap she's going to kill me." Tony whispered. Tony shook Ziva awake gently. "Ziva we're home. Ziva."

"Hmmm," she mumbled. "Tony why are we at your place? Do not think just because I'm a bit tipsy I cannot kill you because I can."

"I don't doubt it but you fell asleep and I drove to my place out of habit. I'm really sorry. Plus it's really late and your apartment is still a ways away." Tony hoped that Ziva really wouldn't kill him. He honestly had no bad intentions but thought it would be easier to just go straight to his apartment. It was really late and they were both tired.

"I will forgive you this one time only DiNozzo." She tried to get out of the car but couldn't. Tony got out of the drivers side and went to help Ziva get out of the car. They got to his apartment and he left Ziva in the living room while he went into his room. He grabbed some sweats and a t-shirt. He came back out and gave her that. "Here change into this." Ziva left to go change in the guest bathroom. Tony quickly went to go change as well while Ziva changed. When he came back out she was already asleep on the couch. Tony shook her awake once again. "Come on you are not sleeping on this horrible couch." Tony helped her up and led her to Isabella's room but then remembered that his dad was there. Crap he thought. There was no way either of them would sleep on that couch. It was pure torture. He took his chances and continued to his bedroom.

"Tony I can sleep on the couch. It is fine." Ziva said. She was always so stubborn.

"Neither of us is sleeping on that couch. It's horrible and I would actually like to enjoy tomorrow instead of have a hurt back." He told her as he placed her on Kate's side. She was about to protest but Tony stopped her. "Look my daughter is in this bed nothing is going to happen. Okay?" Ziva sighed but regardless got in the bed. She fluffed the pillow and turned to face Isabella. He noticed that as soon as Ziva had laid down Isabella curled up against her. Like second nature Ziva placed an arm around Isabella and they both curled up to one another. Tony smiled and then went back to his side, got in bed, and kissed Isabella on the head. He checked to make sure Ziva had gone asleep and wasn't pretending so that later she could sneak out to the couch.

"Stop staring and go to sleep DiNozzo. I am not going to kill you but do not think that I will not make you pay for this." Ziva responded without opening her eyes. Tony rolled his and went to sleep. Ziva tightened her grip on Isabella and then let sleep succumb her. She had to admit she thought it would be very awkward but for some strange reason she felt very comfortable.

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did please don't forget to leave me a review!**


	9. Fourth of July

**A/N Yay! I survived the first week back at university and by the looks of it I won't have time to write. I'm a couple of chapters ahead so when and if I catch up I will post once a week until then we will stick to the schedule. Once again you guys are awesome thanks for all the love. Keep it up! Also, if any of you have ever seen the movie No Reservations with Catherine Zeta-Jones that is how I envision Kate and Tony's apartment. Like Kate's in the movie No Reservations. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS. If I did we would not be suffering. **

**Previously on Love is a privilege: **

"Stop staring and go to sleep DiNozzo. I am not going to kill you but do not think that I will not make you pay for this." Ziva responded without opening her eyes. Tony rolled his and went to sleep. Ziva tightened her grip on Isabella and then let sleep succumb her. She had to admit he thought it would be very awkward but for some strange reason she felt very comfortable.

**Chapter 9: Fourth of July**

Isabella utterly excited to see all of her NCIS family awoke at eight in the morning; highly unusual for the perky three year old. Urgently wanting to be ready for when her dad woke Isabella attempted to jump out of bed but was constricted by an arm. Confused to who it was, because her dad was lying in front of her, she turned slightly to get a better view of whose arm it belonged to. As she turned she noticed that it was a woman but as soon as she was face to face with the woman she noticed that it was Ziva. Isabella was overjoyed she loved spending time with Ziva; she was her third favorite person, after her mom and dad. Content with being snuggled with Ziva, she no longer was in a hurry to leave seeing as Ziva was already there, she snuggled up as close as possible, smiled and fell back to sleep.

A while later Isabella woke for the second time that morning, she found that she was still constricted by Ziva's arms but this time her dad was no longer across from her and when she looked up at Ziva's eyes she was awake as well. She rubbed her eyes, removing the dust from the sandman as her dad had once told her, and yawned. "Good morning tateleh." Ziva ran a hand through Isabella's hair, placed a kiss on her forehead and smiled at the three year old.

"Mornin," a big unexpected yawn, "Ziva." Still feeling a bit tired she closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep. But as soon as she did Ziva started tickling her preventing her from further sleep. "No that tickle." Isabella didn't open her eyes though and Ziva kept tickling Isabella until she did. No longer wanting to be tickled, Isabella jumped up and stood in a fighter's stance. "Okay I up. I up. No more tickle." She said very seriously catching Ziva off guard with her change in attitude. Taking her chance that Ziva was caught off guard Isabella lunged towards Ziva and began tickling her. Unfortunately for Isabella, Ziva wasn't ticklish because of the rigorous amounts of training she had endured over the years. "You no ticklish?" Isabella asked her voice showing a bit of disappointment.

Ziva not wanting to disappointment her encouraged Isabella to try again. "Try again." Isabella tickled her once again, putting much more force behind her tickles this time around, but this time Ziva made sure to fake that it really tickled. She squirmed, pretending to need out of Isabella's hold and begged for Isabella to stop tickling her. Isabella smiled, laughing harder as she thought that she was really torturing Ziva with her tickles. Ziva smiled at the fact that she could make Isabella extremely happy by making her believe that she really was tickling her.

Due to her involvement with mossad, NCIS, and all the horrors she had committed Ziva believed that there was no way she would ever make a wonderful mother to a child. She loved children and longed for them but there was a voice in her head that told her no child deserved her as a mother. Spending time with Isabella over the months, especially the few after Kate's death, had invoked her maternal instincts even more. Isabella has shown her that a child could and would love her unconditionally. That she was capable of mothering a child, yes she would make mistakes, but all parents made them, the longing for a child was also intensified, but she was able to maintain it with Isabella. Half a year ago Ziva had not known of Isabella's existence and now she couldn't imagine life without her.

Hearing giggles and pleas coming from his bedroom, Tony went to go check it out. He walked in and what he saw made him smile; Ziva lying on her back, Isabella sitting on Ziva's stomach tickling her all over. "What's going on here?" Tony asked them.

"Daddy I tickle Ziva!" She boasted; Proud of the fact that she was able to tickle the Mossad officer.

"You tickled Ziva. Wow, nobody can tickle Ziva she's not very to ticklish." Tony exaggerated for the benefit of his daughter.

"That true?" Isabella asked Ziva.

Ziva nodded and Isabella's eyes grew wide. "You must have magical hands." Ziva told her. Ziva picked up Isabella, placed her next to her, then turned to give Tony the 'we have to talk look'.

"Bella, sweetie, grandpa is making breakfast why don't you go help him?" Tony knew what Ziva wanted to talk about and it wasn't an appropriate conversation for a three year old. Isabella nodded, jumped off the bed and skipped contently down the hall into the kitchen.

Tony walked over to the door, that Isabella had left widely open, and closed it. Tony returned back to the bed, sat down and waited for Ziva to speak. But both stayed quite waiting for the other to speak. Tony had assumed that because it was Ziva who had wanted to talk she would start off the conversation but Ziva was waiting for Tony to say something so that she could tell him how wrong it was for her to sleep in his bed. Noticing

Ziva finally spoke after realizing that Tony wasn't going to speak. "I am not saying that I do not appreciate you looking out for me but honestly I do not think it was right of me to stay her. I will not disagree that it was probably better I stay here than my own apartment but I should have stayed on the couch not in the bed. This is still yours and Kate's and it is disrespectful of me to sleep her even though we did not do anything other than just that." Ziva looked at the floor afraid of looking Tony in the eyes.

Tony sighed and approached Ziva who was sitting on the edge of the bed. "Ziva as much as it pains me to stay it Kate is dead. I love her very much and would never do anything to hurt her but like you said we didn't do anything. You just slept in the bed that is all. But if it bothers you that much it will never happen again." He tone came out harsher than intended to. But he was frustrated. He had tried to be a decent guy by not allowing Ziva to go home slightly drunk and allowing her to sleep on his crappy couch but instead he got reproached for it. He really didn't understand her.

Ziva wanted to say something, she felt bad for upsetting Tony that was not what she had meant at all. She enjoyed coming over and didn't mind staying but at times she felt like an intruder in their lives. But before she could Isabella was peeking her head through the door putting an end to their conversation. "Daddy, Ziva breakfast is ready." She announced.

Tony turned to look at her. "Thank you Bella we will be there in a second." Isabella nodded, pulled her head back and closed the door behind her. Tony noticed Ziva's eyes, for some reason or another he could always read her mood by her what her eyes expressed. He knew he had hurt her by the harshness in his words. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to speak so harshly. I get it now before Kate's incident we weren't more than simple coworkers and in the span of three months we have become something more. I feel like we've become great friends and I don't want to throw that away because of this one thing." Ziva had been a big help through everything and he didn't want to lose her friendship over a petty disagreement.

"I am sorry I did not mean to turn this into a fight." Ziva still wouldn't look Tony in the eyes afraid of what he might see.

"Don't worry about let's go eat breakfast." Tony grabbed Ziva's hand and pulled her to the kitchen where Tony's father had the table already set. He set four places, originally he had set three but Isabella told him Ziva had stayed over, he made them bacon, avocado, cheese, and tomato omelets. "Dad this looks amazing thanks." They made their way over to the table. Ziva sat next Tony; Isabella sat next to her and Tony's dad sat between Isabella and his son. Throughout, breakfast Isabella talked about all the fun she had had with her grandfather. "Dad we are going to a parade and then over to our bosses house for a BBQ. Would you like to join?"

"We are?" Ziva asked Tony. She knew that they would be going to Gibbs house but nothing about a parade.

"Yes it is your first Fourth of July you will get the full experience." Tony told Ziva. "So would you like to join us?" Tony asked his dad once again because Ziva had interrupted them.

"Of course junior. I'd like to spend some more time with the little munchkin." Tony SR rubbed Isabella's hair. After breakfast they all went to get ready and headed off for to the parade. But first they need to stop by Ziva's apartment so that she could change into fresh clothes.

They reached downtown, spent about an hour looking for parking, and then weaved their way through the crowds of people. They made their way to the very front of the crowd and as they arrived a float of Benjamin Franklin was passing by. "Daddy who that?" Isabella asked her dad.

"Benjamin Franklin, yes?" Ziva answered quickly.

"Yeah good job." Tony told her and they continued to watch the parade. Many floats passed by with presidents, Yankees on horses, a group of dancers with pompoms, and miss Washington in a very nice convertible. Other floats continued to drive by, high school bands, dance teams, ordinary people in costumes, musicians, military, and people holding up balloons. Both Isabella and Ziva were intrigued with everything.

After a while Isabella started to get tired and so Tony picked her up but then she was thirsty and so both Tonys went to find drinks for everyone. Ziva and Isabella stayed in their spots to continue to view the parade "Hey mami want to take a ride on the Tuck express?" A middle aged man, with a beer gut and drunk off his ass approached Ziva. She ignored him staring straight ahead and tightened her hold on Isabella who sat on her left hip. The man furious that Ziva had ignored him became aggressive. "Hey bitch I'm talking to you." Now Ziva was furious. It took all the self-control she had not to drop that man on his ass and put him in his place.

Unfortunately, Isabella had heard what the man said and turned to look at him giving her an evil glare. "Ziva why that man bothering us?" Isabella asked frightened.

"Pay no attention to him tateleh. He is just some tipesh (stupid) man." Ziva put her right hand on Isabella's back and pulled her attention back to the parade with the hope that the man would get bored and leave them alone.

But he had heard Ziva talking about him to Isabella and became enraged. "What did you call me bitch?" The man placed a hand on Ziva's shoulder and she instinctively grabbed it and flipped him. She set Isabella down, placed his hand behind his back and squeezed it causing the man to groan in pain. She bent down and whispered in his ear. "You better leave us alone or you won't walk out of here alive." She threatened him.

"You wouldn't kill me." The man spat and Ziva squeezed his arm so that if he made one wrong move his arm would break. "Okay! Okay!" the man surrendered. Ziva released his grasp and took off running. "Crazy bitch," he whispered back.

The Tonys came back over so all they had witnessed was the end. "What happened?" Tony asked confused as to why a man had run off calling Ziva a bitch.

"Some ass of a man started hitting on me and then when I told him to leave me alone he would not. I tired to ignore him but when he placed a hand on me I reacted and the next thing I knew he was on the floor. Ziva explained. "I am really sorry Tony I did not want that to happen especially with your daughter here."

"You had to do what you had to. I'm surprised you let him off so easy. I expected blood and crying." Tony joked as he handed them bottles of water.

"Tony it is not funny. She is very frightened." Isabella was hiding behind Ziva's legs.

Isabella peeked her head out from Ziva's legs. "Daddy can we go?" Isabella asked a bit shakily.

Tony looked at his watch. "Yeah we can. This is around the time Gibbs told us to arrive." Tony picked up Isabella and headed to the car.

Tony SR approached Ziva and walked beside her. "You are one bad ass lady. You have some major skills." He told her. Ziva just smiled and continued walking.

They were the first ones to arrive to Gibbs house except for Jenny who seemed to be spending a lot of time with him lately. When Gibbs noticed that Ziva was with them he stared suspiciously. _Why had they arrived together?_ "I brought my dad I hope you don't mind." Tony asked hid boss. Gibbs nodded and took them to the backyard leaving them there to answer the door once again. The rest of the team arrived and were now gathered in the backyard except for Tony and Gibbs who had left to prepare the meat.

"Hello everyone!" Abby called out. Abby became very perky when she was able to see her NCIS family. They were all the family she had left as most of the others, something they all strangely had in common, except for McGee. They all laughed but regardless called out "hey Abbs."

Isabella was siting in Ziva's lap and responded with a yawn that didn't go unnoticed by Ziva. "Someone is tired yes?" Ziva asked her but Isabella shook her head. She hated taking her naps especially when they were at parties. But she really needed her nap because she had stayed up late and woken early. Isabella released another yawn she was slowly losing the battle with sleep. "I think someone needs a nap."

"No I stay here with everyone." Isabella protested but another yawn escaped her.

"How about you take your nap here with me and that way you are still here yes?" Ziva compromised.

"No nap." Isabella protested once again but her eyes were saying otherwise. She was fighting so hard to keep them open but she was just so tired. Ziva repositioned her against her right arm so that she was lying more and began playing with her hair. She knew that she would be out soon so she started singing a Hebrew lullaby in order to lull her to sleep. "No Ziva I no nap." She protested through yawns but minutes later she was out like a light.

Abby who was still iffy about Ziva approached her. "Wow you're a natural. It usually takes Tony an hour and a lot of convincing for Isabella to take her nap. You had her asleep within minutes but then again she did seem really tired." Taking notice of that Abby was no longer impressed.

"According to Tony she went to bed later than usual and then woke up earlier as well." Ziva explained. Ziva looked down at Isabella and stared at her mesmerized by the innocence of the child. She only hoped that her innocence would never be taken away from her. That she would never have to witness some of the things she had as a child.

Abby stared at Ziva and how normal she looked holding Isabella. Maybe she had been too quick to judge her. "I'm sorry Ziva that I have been very rude to you. Its just Kate was my best friend and I didn't like that you all of a sudden replaced her at work and at home. I felt like you were trying to take over her life." Abby finally admitted and was willing to make amends with Ziva.

"I am not trying to take over Kate's life. I was just trying to help Tony through a difficult time. He is my partner and as my partner I would like to know that he is at his best when we are on the field. That he has my back." Ziva would never truly admit that this was more than about the job. That this was about a friendship and finally feeling like she belonged somewhere. But Ziva David could not admit to that because then she was viewed as weak and Ziva David was definitely not weak.

"Oh," Abby had nothing else to say to that. Maybe she had been right about Ziva and that she was just the assassin she displayed to be. Maybe there wasn't anything underneath the surface. She got up and went to talk to Jenny and Amy. McGee was talking to Anthony SR, Tony and Gibbs were in the kitchen, leaving Ziva alone with Isabella asleep in her arms. But she didn't mind. She enjoyed the peace that was brought by watching Isabella sleep. A peace she had not felt in years.

Tony came out moments later noticing the woman had isolated her, though Jenny had not done it intentionally, and went to sit next to "Do not fear DiNozzo is here." He told her rather loudly. Ziva shushed him so he wouldn't wake up Isabella but she just stirred and snuggled up against Ziva's chest. Gibbs came up behind him and head slapped him for his idiocies. "Thank you boss." Tony said and followed Gibbs to the BBQ pit to start up the steaks.

"Do you guys remember the Fourth of July that McGee broke his arm?" Abby spoke up randomly.

"Do we really need to retell this story Abbs?" McGee asked embarrassed.

"Yes we do McGee, Amy nor Ziva have heard it." She looked over to Amy for confirmation. She shook her head no. "See we definitely need to tell it."

Tony went to start the grill trying hard to occupy his mind so that he wouldn't have to listen to the story. But he found it hard not too and found himself thinking back to that day.

_It was the second Fourth of July Tony and Kate were spending it as a married couple. Once again they were going over to Gibbs house for a BBQ but this year they were skipping the parade something Tony was very unhappy about but he would do anything to keep his wife happy. She was seven months pregnant and the heat didn't make things easy. So she had wanted to skip the parade all together and just go straight to Gibbs house. Tony, the wonderful husband he is, did as she pleased. They got to Gibbs' house and Kate went straight to the backyard and sat down. But the patio chairs were very uncomfortable and she couldn't find a comfortable position so Tony went inside and grabbed some of the pillows off the couch to place around her. Those helped and she was finally able to get in a comfortable position until minutes later she got up to pee. "Tony, tell your daughter to please stop using my bladder as a punching bag." Kate said angrily as she struggled to get up and head to the bathroom. _

_McGee who had witnessed the whole thing just burst out laughing. Tony glared at him and he shut up. "What are you laughing at probie?" Tony intimidated the young agent. _

"_Nut…nothing Tony." McGee stuttered he still had not build up the confidence to stand up to Tony. _

"_Aw Tony leave poor Timmy alone." Abby defended him. _

_Gibbs walked out to the backyard very serious. "Okay kids stop your banter."_

_They all replied with a "yes boss." _

_Kate came back out and Tony went over to help her. She pushed him away. "I can do it myself Tony. I'm not incompetent just pregnant." Kate wobbled over to the chair and sat down repositioning the pillows. _

"_Yes dear." Replied Tony and went to sit down next to Kate. _

"_Kate how do you feel?" Abby asked excitedly. _

"_Fat, like a whale, uncomfortable, and hot. I just want this baby out now." Kate complained. She was seven months pregnant and very uncomfortable. All she wanted was to be able to hold her baby and not be so fat. _

"_But just think in two months you will have your baby girl in your arms." Abby squealed. But Kate was being a downer today and couldn't handle Abby's excessively good mood. _

"_Two months too long." Kate replied as she rubbed her belly. The baby was kicking up a storm and wouldn't settle down. _

_Tony sensing some tension in Kate interrupted them. "McGee why don't you go help me bring some more chairs over." McGee nodded and followed Tony to the garage. He felt awkward in that conversation and just wanted an excuse to leave. _

_Tony grabbed a fan for Kate because he knew she would be complaining of the heat soon and McGee grabbed five more chairs. They were casually talking about fatherhood and if Tony was excited about it when McGee didn't notice a rise in the cement and tripped over it. His arm landed between chairs and the way it landed caused it to break. It immediately swelled and they all rushed over to the emergency room putting a hold on their Fourth of July celebration. _

"McGee cried the entire way to the ER. Then they tried to take x-rays and he wouldn't let them. He was being a total baby." Abby told everyone.

"I was not." McGee whined.

"Enough kids lets behave." Tony called over to them as he grabbed a container to start putting all the steaks in.

Isabella woke up just as the food was being served. "Did you have a nice nap yakiri?" She nodded and Tony placed a plate in front of Isabella.

"Ill get her out of your hair so that you can eat. Just give me a second to finish this up." Tony told Ziva. But she shook her head not to worry. Tony grabbed a plate for himself and Ziva and went to sit next to her. Isabella stayed in Ziva's lap because she didn't want to move. Ziva reassured Tony that it was okay and she stayed there. To anyone who was watching they would see a little family and that was exactly what Abby saw and it made her smile that Tony and Isabella were back to being their old selves again but it also made her sad that it was Ziva and not Kate taking part in all of that.

After they finished their food they got out the sparklers so everyone could enjoy them as they waited for the sun to set a bit and start up the fireworks. Isabella ran over to her grandpa Gibbs and asked him for one. He lit it up and she started running around the backyard. "Tony, are you sure that is safe for her to use?" Ziva asked worriedly. Each time Isabella put it close to her face Ziva would close her eyes. That thing that she had was making her very nervous.

"Relax she'll be fine. Here try one." Tony handed her a sparkler and was about to light it up.

"So what I just hold it and watch it give off light?" Ziva asked confused. She had never seen these things before.

"Yeah or run around and wave them around like Isabella is doing." Abby was running around the backyard with Isabella waving the sparklers. McGee and Amy were pretending they were wizards from the harry potter books, Jenny and Gibbs were sitting down watching all of them, as they were their children and grandchildren.

Ziva did nothing just stood there so Tony lit one up and started following ziva around with it so that she would enjoy herself. Scared of the sparklers Ziva started to running from him. They all enjoyed themselves with the sparklers until Gibbs called that it was time for the fireworks. They grabbed all the packages they had and headed to the front yard. They all sat on the grass as Gibbs fired firework after firework. At first Isabella had been a bit intimated by the fireworks because of the sound and hid behind her dad. But after some convincing and explaining she loved them. They spent the entire afternoon lying on the grass watching the fireworks that were being fired from the white house.

**Hope you liked it! If you did please don't forget to review.**


	10. Ziva's Date

**A/N You guys are amazing. Thanks for all of your reviews this made the first back at college easier to bear. Well I have nothing else to say is enjoy the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**

**Previously on Love is a Privilege:**

Ziva did nothing just stood there so Tony lit one up and started following Ziva around with it so that she would enjoy herself. Scared of the sparklers Ziva started to running from him. They all enjoyed themselves with the sparklers until Gibbs called that it was time for the fireworks. They grabbed all the packages they had and headed to the front yard. They all sat on the grass as Gibbs fired firework after firework. At first Isabella had been a bit intimated by the fireworks because of the sound and hid behind her dad. But after some convincing and explaining she loved them. They spent the entire afternoon lying on the grass watching the fireworks that were being fired from the white house.

**Chapter 10: Ziva's Date**

Tony's father left the morning after, he had to get back to New York for a business meeting, but not before promising to come visit more frequently. Things were now starting to settle down, Isabella and Tony were falling into a routine for their new life, they were figuring out how to live alone but they weren't completely alone Ziva was starting to spend an abundant amount of time with them, more than at her own apartment.

After spending all her free time with Tony and Isabella Ziva needed to get back to her personal life. Before coming to NCIS there wasn't time for any personal affairs. As her father had said work was her husband. But now that she was working at NCIS she had time for personal affairs and allowed Abby to set her up on a date. Abby was starting to warm up to Ziva but she still didn't like the idea of them two spending all of their time together. So, she wanted to hook Ziva up with someone in hopes that she would leave Tony and Isabella alone.

Ziva had been standing in her closet staring at her clothes for nearly an hour now. She had no clue what to wear. She didn't go on dates, she wasn't the girly type, and she preferred cargo pants because she was able to carry everything she needed in them. She went to the very back of the closet where she hid all of her nicer clothes and pulled out a yellow cocktail dress. It went down to mid thigh and hugged her body perfectly. Now that she knew what she was going to wear she went to her bathroom to start on her hair and makeup. Just when she was going to start applying her mascara her cellphone rang. She ran out to look for it but when she finally found it on the coffee table they had hung up. She noticed that the miss call was from Tony and called him back. "DiNozzo." He answered nervously. He knew it was Ziva and was nervous to talk to her.

"You called me Tony?" Ziva asked as she tried to finish applying her makeup. Her date would be here any minute to pick her up and she wasn't ready yet. She had not realized how late it was until she had noticed the time on her cellphone.

"Uh yeah. Isabella and I were going to order in and watch some movies. I wanted to know if you wanted to join us?" Tony was nervous. He didn't know why he was nervous it was just Ziva.

"As much fun as that sounds I have a date tonight. Maybe some other time?" Ziva responded.

"So rain check?" Tony asked. He didn't know why he was so upset that Ziva was going on a date but he was. He suddenly felt pissed that some other man was going to be spending time with her.

"Tony it is not raining outside." Ziva responded confused with what Tony had told her as she checked out of her window.

"It means you'll postpone for another time." Tony tried to explain to Ziva what rain check meant.

"Oh yes." The doorbell rang and Ziva hurried to finish applying her makeup. "Tony my date is here I have to go." Ziva hung up the phone Gibbs style.

Once again the doorbell rang and Ziva yelled coming. She opened the door and was face to face with a man that resembled Eric Dane except he was a bit shorter. "Ziva David?" The man asked.

"Daveed, you must be Michael Daly." The man nodded and Ziva opened the door up a bit more. "Come in. I will just get my things."

"You look gorgeous by the way." Ziva blushed and left to grab her things before he could see her. She grabbed her purse, a coat, and shoes and then they headed out.

The drive was taken in an awkward silence nobody was speaking. Neither knew what to say seeing as they had never met one another. Every minute that past it became more and more awkward. "Where are we going?" Ziva asked breaking the silence once and for all.

"It's a surprise." They continued to drive through the crowded streets of DC not another word was spoken and Ziva wondered the entire time if she had made a mistake, thinking maybe she should have taken Tony's offer. Half an hour later they arrived to their destinations. "We are at a shooting range?" Ziva asked as they pulled into the familiar parking lot.

"Yeah, I know it is not an ideal place for a date. But I like to show woman the real me." In all reality he liked to come here to show off and ninety percent of the time it turned women on. Michael got out of the car and went over to Ziva's side to open her door.

They headed inside and went straight to the check in counter. Ziva stood behind him and waited as he signed in and rented a gun. The man at the counter recognized her from when Gibbs would make them come for target practice. He was about to wave but Ziva put a finger to her mouth shushing him. She didn't want her date to know she was a frequent visitor. She knew his intentions of coming here were to show off and she was willing to let him. "Would you like to try?" He asked her.

Ziva was excellent at what she did. So she was going to play this strategically. She was going to watch him first and based on how he performed she would join him on shooting or not. "I think I will watch you first." Ziva replied.

"Sounds good to me." Michael smiled. His plan was already working. She was like all the rest of the women he had dated and as soon as he started shooting she would be putty in his hands. They headed to the lockers and put away all of their things.

Ziva sat in the viewing section, as Michael got ready for the first round. She immediately noticed that he had a sloppy stance. He didn't know how to hold a gun properly and stance was key to accuracy in shooting. If that lacked stability you wouldn't get many accurate shots. The bell rang and they started shooting. She noticed the Michael was very cocky and probably thought he was an excellent shooter. Maybe he was able to impress and fool all the other women he had brought but that wouldn't work with somebody like Ziva. No she wouldn't be fooled what so ever.

The bell rang signaling the end of the round and Ziva joined him so that she could take a look at his targets. As she walked over she noticed the holes in the paper with points. He was horrible; he had missed them all by inches. But he thought he was a hotshot much like Tony when he was trying to impress the lady's but he on the hand could shoot. "So what did you think? You think you'd like to give it a go?" Michael asked her. He was feeling cocky he knew he'd have her by the end of the night.

Ziva smiled. She could read him perfectly and decided to play along with his game. This would be a fun night after all thought Ziva. "I think I will watch you one more time before I give it a try." The bell rang once again and Ziva headed back to the viewing section. Again she watched him carefully. He went back to his horrible stance and began firing. Men are all the same she thought.

Once this round was over Michael turned around and held a thumbs up to her she responded with a thumbs up and he went back to shooting. Ziva just laughed. It would be fun to see Michael's reaction when she started to shoot. This round finished and he came back out to join Ziva. "You want to give it a try now?" He asked.

"Seems easy enough." Ziva responded. She walked over to where Michael had walked out from, took the gun, and got ready for when the all-clear bell rang. Michael took a seat where Ziva had sat. _This should be interesting to watch_ Michael thought.

The all-clear bell rang and Ziva fired shot after shot. The round was over and all the men there were impressed. The guy who usually kept watch recognized her and walked over. "Impressive job as usual Ziva. You are still number one." He pointed up to where her picture hanged on the wall of honor.

Ziva walked back out. She couldn't wait to see the look on her date's face. "Wow that was impressive." She had hit every target perfectly. He felt a little bit emasculated.

"Beginners luck I suppose." She sensed the change in body language. He was no longer as cocky as he had been moments ago. He was hoping that maybe he could comfort her after feeling horrible for not doing as well as he had. But the roles had reserved on him. She was the one comforting him because things had not gone as well.

"I suppose. Why don't we go get a drink?" Michael suggested. Obviously his plan was going accordingly so he needed to change it up a bit. They would need to get that drink sooner than plan but he still had hope that by the end of the night he would have Ziva were he wanted her. They grabbed their stuff, checked the gun back in, and headed out. On the way out MIchael noticed Ziva's picture hanging on the shooters wall of honor. "Why had you not mentioned that you have come here before?"

She shrugged. She didn't think it was that big of a deal. "It is required for my job. My boss makes us." Ziva answered simply trying to avoid having this conversation.

"Where do you work?" He wanted to know why it was she was able to shoot flawlessly.

"I am a federal agent." She answered him trying to rely the least amount of information as possible. She didn't like talking about her work. In mossad she was taught that nobody could be trusted and therefore she didn't really trust anyone except for maybe her team and even then she still had doubts. The only person who she could say she trusted a bit more than others was Tony and that was only because he had trusted her with some very intimate things.

"Oh," He definitely felt like an idiot now. "Well anyways do you like karaoke bars?" Ziva nodded as they made their way to the car.

They ended up in a karaoke bar called Muy Caliente, a little Latin place. "I've heard that this place can get interesting." Michael said as he went over to Ziva's side to open her door.

"I think I have been here once." Ziva said as she stared at the entrance and tried to remember which case was it that had brought her here. It had to be that because she rarely went out and if she did it wouldn't be so far from home.

They walked in and went straight to a table. A very handsome man came over and placed a napkin in front of each of them. "What can I get ya?" The waiter was wearing flaming colors and danced his way over to him. He definitely looked like he belonged at a salsa club.

"Two beers," Michael helped up two fingers as he ordered for them. The waiter nodded and looked over at Ziva confirming that that was indeed what it was she wanted.

"Actually I would like a mojito." Ziva cut in. She wasn't a big fan of beer. She loved her mojitos though. The waiter nodded and went to get their drinks. Ziva got comfortable in her chair and stared at Michael. They had been on a date for almost three hours now and she knew nothing about the man except he liked to go to the shooting range but sucked at it terribly. "I just realized I know nothing about you. What do you do?" Ziva asked Michael.

"I'm a plastic surgeon." Michael responded.

Ziva laughed, "really?" She was surprised he did not seem like the type of guy to be a doctor. She just found it really hard to believe but then again she wouldn't put being a plastic surgeon past him. He did seem like the type to be in plastics.

"Yes really. But I do more than boob jobs and nose jobs. I mostly work with burn victims, people who need reconstructive surgery and those types of things. Stuff that helps them better their life not alter it for their sake." Michael defended himself. Plastic surgeons usually got bad raps on what they did. The waiter came over, left their drinks and left without being noticed. He didn't want to interrupt their conversation.

"I am glad to know that you are not helping woman make themselves into something they are not. What are you interested in?" Ziva asked. Maybe this guy wasn't so bad after all she thought.

"I don't have much free time but when I do I love to go camping, cooking, and reading mystery books. I'm a very simple guy really. But I mostly spend all my time at the hospital." Michael took a sip of his beer. "During my internship year there was this competition and I didn't leave the hospital for a whole week. Then there was this other time that I got in a fight and broke my nose. So, I did my own stitches because I didn't trust anyone else to do them." While he talked Ziva just nodded and smiled at his stories. _So maybe I should have taken Tony's offer instead of this date _Ziva thought repeatedly throughout.

Michael spent an hour just talking about himself and all the crazy things that happen at his hospital. Ziva was getting bored and finding it hard to concentrate on what he was saying. Thankfully this couple was on the stage and they were about to sing something. "Why do we not watch them sing, yes?" Ziva interrupted Michael's story on a surgery he had done a newborn. The couple started singing and Ziva made a face. The couple sucked they weren't very good at singing. But she could tell they were having fun. "Would you like to give it a try?"

Michael nodded. "I bet we will sound way better than them." Michael added he was very competitive and never liked to lose.

The couple finished their song and Ziva and Michael headed up to the stage. They picked the song, Hero by Enrique Iglesias and waited for the song to start. Michael was the first one to sing and Ziva expected him to at least be decent but he wasn't he was worse than the first couple. She noticed the reactions of the audience and tried to keep in her laughter. Her part came up and she started to sing. After the song was over everyone clapped for them but they had been more impressed by Ziva than they had been by Michael. You could tell by Michael's expression that he was not expecting for her to sing like that. "Wow that was impressive. You just seem to be full of surprises." He said a bit bitterly.

"Well thank you." Ziva said as they headed back to the table to take their seats. Their same waiter came over with a cocktail.

"The gentleman over there." The waiter pointed to the table nearest the miniature stage. "Sent this over and wanted me to tell you that you are very beautiful."

"You can tell that gentleman over there that I am not interested." Ziva handed the waiter back the drink. "I am sorry." Ziva apologized to her date.

They went back to talking well mostly Michael. He sure seemed to like to talk about himself Ziva thought. He continued to talk about whatever he thought of until the waiter interrupted them once again. "I'm sorry to do this again but this other gentleman wanted me to tell you to dump this loser and go with him." The waiter left the drink and walked away.

Ziva pushed the drink aside. "I am really sorry about that." Once again Ziva apologized. She felt really bad that this had happened twice already and that the second message was so hurtful.

"You know what I'm over this. I can't handle this anymore. I don't want to be with someone who is better than me. First at the shooting range, the singing, and now all the men buying you drinks. Women should be buying me drinks, I should have outshot you, and out sung you. Goodbye. Good luck with men." Michael dropped his napkin and stormed out of the bar.

What the hell just happened thought Ziva. Once she realized she started laughing. Her date had just ditched her because she wasn't some ditzy woman who couldn't shoot. She laughed once again, that was a first. When she realized that she had been left at the bar with no ride she dialed Tony's cellphone number without thinking. She didn't know whom else to call. She was embarrassed to call Gibbs and knew that McGee's girlfriend would not appreciate her calling him. So she dialed Tony straight away. "DiNozzo," Tony answered sleepily.

"Tony I am sorry that I woke you up and I really hate to call you at this hour but my date has ditched me at the bar Muy Caliente and I have no way of getting home." Ziva felt very bad for walking up Tony at two in the morning but she didn't know who else to call and if they were really friends like Tony had told her than maybe he wouldn't mind coming to pick her up.

Tony rubbed a hand through his face as he processed what Ziva had told her. What did she mean her date had left her at the bar? What kind of guy left a woman at a bar? Tony was appalled but realized that he hadn't responded to Ziva. "Uh sure. Can you give me the address?" Tony got out of bed, got dressed, grabbed his keys and headed for the door. He was already down to his car when he remembered he was forgetting someone, crap Isabella, he thought and ran back upstairs to get her.

"Yes hold on give me a second to ask." A waiter walked by and Ziva stopped him. "Excuse me could you give me the address for this place." The waiter wrote it down on a napkin and handed it to her. Meanwhile Tony had run back upstairs to get Isabella.

Ziva gave Tony the address and he carefully got Isabella down to the car without waking her up. "Alright stay where you are I'm on my way. Don't talk to strangers." A sleepy Tony wasn't a very coherent one. "Wait what am I saying you are an ex-assassin you can handle yourself." He heard Ziva chuckle then hung up the phone before he could say any more stupid things.

He arrived to the bar and called Ziva to tell her that he was parked outside. She walked out, got in the car, and sighed. "All men are pigs." She complained a little too loudly.

Tony shushed her. "Isabella's asleep I don't want her waking up." Tony told Ziva as he looked in the back seat to make sure she was still soundly asleep in her car seat.

"Isabella I completely forgot. Tony I am so sorry I made you come get me at two in the morning but I did not know who else to call." When she called him she had not even realized that he would have to bring Isabella with him. She felt horrible.

"Don't worry when you called I got ready so quickly that I made it to my car and then finally realized that Isabella was asleep in her room. Now if you want to say all men are pigs. Might I remind you who came to pick you up?" Tony gave her a look but started the car and headed for her apartment.

"All the men I date are pigs. Better?" Ziva gave Tony a funny look.

"Better," Tony smiled. "So, would you like to tell me what happened? What this jerk, who I hope I don't every get the pleasure of meeting because if I do I will kick his ass for leaving you, did?" Now that he had said it Tony was furious how could someone leave Ziva stranded.

"The whole date was quite funny actually. He picked me up and we went to a shooting range. He wanted to show off his shooting skills." Ziva rolled her eyes.

"That must have been quite a shock to him when you started to shoot." Tony laughed trying to keep his laugh down so he wouldn't wake Isabella.

"He was more than shocked he got mad and suggested we go out for a drink so we did. He spent the entire time talking about himself and then we got up to sing and he got mad that I out

sung him. Then some guys started buying me drinks and he just exploded and said that he couldn't be with someone who was better than him and left." Ziva laughed as she remembered her entire date. Never had she had experienced something like that.

"Are you serious? This actually happened? Even I was never this big of an ass on a date." Tony was angry with the guy but he was also relieved that her date had not gone as well as planned.

"Yeah I could not believe it myself. That is the last time I let Abby set me up with anyone. She will be getting a mouthful tomorrow. You can count on that." Ziva crossed her arms and stared out the rode. "Honestly if I would have known this was going to turn out this way I would have much rather have watched movies with you and Isabella." Tony smiled he didn't know why but he really enjoyed Ziva's company.

"Yeah me too." Tony replied and Ziva smiled. Before they knew it they were at her apartment. Ziva didn't want to get out she was enjoying talking to Tony but it was late and he needed to get back to put Isabella back in her bed.

"Thank you for coming to get me. See you on Monday." Ziva got out of the car.

"Yeah see ya on Monday." Tony waved, waiting for Ziva to get inside her building and drove off.

Ziva smiled as she made her way into her apartment building. She couldn't believe that the drive to her apartment had been the most interesting part of her whole date. Ziva made it inside her apartment, left her stuff in the entrance, changed out of her dress and climbed in to bed. That night while she lay in her bed thinking she promised herself that if she had to choose between going on a date or movie night with Tony and Isabella. She would much prefer the latter. Never again was she going to make that mistake again.

**So this was just a filler chapter. Don't worry some action is soon to come. Hope you all enjoyed. If you did please let me know what you think. Any suggestions feel free to send them to me. I am here for you guys. Hope all is going well in school. **


	11. Tony's Birthday

**A/N I totally just posted the wrong chapter. So if you were lucky enough to read that you know what will happen in a few chapters. But here is the actual chapter 11. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**

**Previously on Life is a Privilege:**

"Yeah me too." Tony replied and Ziva smiled. Before they knew it they were at her apartment. Ziva didn't want to get out she was enjoying talking to Tony but it was late and he needed to get back to put Isabella back in her bed.

"Thank you for coming to get me. See you on Monday." Ziva got out of the car.

"Yeah see ya on Monday." Tony waved, waiting for Ziva to get inside her building and drove off.

**Chapter 11: Tony's birthday**

Normally, Tony DiNozzo hated birthdays, he loved the attention, but he didn't like the fact that it was a representation that he was getting older. But this year was different, after everything that had happened these past months, he felt the need to celebrate, to appreciate that he was allowed one more year with the ones he loved. If Kate's death taught him anything, it was that life was too short to waste. After Tony woke to an overexcited Isabella wishing him a happy birthday he knew he had to celebrate for her to teach her that birthday's were worth celebrating.

Tony walked into the squad room with a smile on his face and a skip in his step. He made his way to his desk, got settled in, and hung up the birthday card Isabella had made him. Then reclined in his chair and starred at his teammates, McGee stared at him like he had grown two heads. "What?" He asked them as he started up his computer. Ziva just stared at him with a smile plastered across her face. She knew why Tony was happier than usual. Isabella had called her, while Tony was in the shower, to tell Ziva that she wanted to do something special for her dad and needed her help.

"Are you feeling alright?" McGee asked Tony.

"Never better," Tony answered and turned his gaze to his computer screen so that McGee could not see him trying to fight back a laugh. Tony loved to make McGee squirm and trying to figure out why Tony was acting the way he was.

Ziva too was holding back laughter she admitted it was it was fun messing with McGee but she felt bad and decided to clue him in. "Happy birthday Tony!" She opened her desk drawer, pulled out a medium sized box with a red bow, walked over to Tony's desk and gave him the box.

Tony took the box, his hand grazed hers, feeling the warmth that was radiated, both left their hands close to one another not wanting to remove and rid themselves of the eithers touch. "What's this?" Tony asked surprised. Although, he sometimes joked that he loved to receive gifts he never actually expected to get any from them especially Ziva. She had already done so much for him and Isabella. He was content with just her spending more time with them.

"Open it." Ziva encouraged him, removing her hand from where it was, immediately losing the warmth of his hand, and tugged at the bow. McGee was wide eyed when he heard Ziva congratulate Tony on his birthday. How was it possible that he had forgotten Tony's birthday? He had been working with Tony four two years now.

Tony opened the box and laughed as soon as he saw lay inside, wrapped in blue wrapping paper. "Is this for real?" Tony continued to laugh. Inside the box surrounded by the blue wrapping paper and glitter was a pink tie with little green ducks all over it.

"Yes, Isabella picked it out." Ziva said with a straight face. In all honestly Ziva thought the tie was very strange and she couldn't imagine Tony ever wearing the tie. But Isabella, had grown excited, jumped up and down, and excitedly told Ziva that she had picked out the perfect gift. Ziva didn't have the heart to discourage her so they ended up getting the tie, although she had wanted to get him something else.

Tony continued to chuckle there was no way he would ever wear something like that in his life but his daughter had bought it with all of the best intentions and that made him automatically love the tie no matter how much he wanted to throw it into the back of his closet. "So, this is what you were doing yesterday when you took my crazy, tie picking, daughter shopping? I knew there was no way that Ziva David shopped unless absolutely necessary." Tony said as he came into realization.

Ziva nodded. "But that is not all there is more." Tony looked confused as he crumbled the wrapping paper looking for something else in the gift. Ziva shook her head. "No it is not another gift. These are instructions that Isabella entrusted me with. Queen Isabella would like you to wear the tie today, take a picture with it, and to anyone that asks you are to tell them that your beautiful daughter and best friend, Ziva, picked it out." Ziva laughed at the last part. She loved that Isabella always wanted to include her in everything they did.

McGee was giggling, over at his desk, at Tony's facial expressions as he heard Ziva tell him that he had to wear the tie for the rest of the day. But the way Tony pretended to hate that he had to wear it made McGee smile, Tony had changed since becoming a dad. Before everything was about Tony DiNozzo and how it benefited him. But when he got married it all became about making Kate happy and then Isabella. Tony was a changed man and McGee couldn't have been prouder of him. Of course, he still had his moments but they were less frequent now.

"What are you laughing at, probie?" Tony called over to him as he took off the black tie he was wearing and put on the pink one his daughter had bought him so that Ziva could take the picture that was required. After she took the picture Tony went back to his desk to change out of his duck tie but just when he was going to change his work phone rang distracting him from his current task at hand. "Agent DiNozzo," Tony answered.

"Hello, Tony I know we haven't talked in a while but I wanted to wish you a happy birthday." The woman spoke into the phone. She was a bit nervous to speak to him after everything that had happened ending their communication.

"Mrs. Todd?" When Tony spoke those words McGee and Ziva stopped everything they were doing and looked over at Tony. He was utterly confused as to why she would be calling now. He had not spoken with Kate's parents since he called to tell them what had occurred. The whole conversation had been a total disaster they blamed Tony for Kate's death and said that she didn't deserve someone who couldn't take care of her. He knew they were angry and needed someone to blame so he wasn't angry that they blamed him. It just made him feel even guiltier. But what really confused him was that at the end of that conversation they wanted nothing to do with him or Isabella. He didn't care if he never spoke to those people again but he hated that Isabella wouldn't get to ever see her grandparents again.

The woman nodded even though Tony couldn't see her. "Yes, I know I was very harsh with you and said I didn't want anything to do with you. But I've had time to think and I would like to say that I am sorry. I know understand that none of it was your fault. It was part of the job and it couldn't have been helped. Once again I am sorry and happy birthday." Clarissa told Tony. It had taken her a while to finally admit that she was wrong and now that it was his birthday she felt it was best to call and apologize.

"Thank you Mrs. Todd I really appreciate it." There was an awkward silence where no one spoke and Tony managed up the courage to continue speaking. "Um two weeks from now is Isabella's birthday and I know she will love it if you are able to come."

"Yes of course. I will get in contact with you later this week for details. Nice speaking with you again Tony and once again congratulations." McGee and Ziva were still staring intently at Tony wondering what it was they were talking about. Tony had gotten serious the moment he started speaking with her.

"Thank you and nice speaking with you." Tony hung up the phone and pretended that there was something he needed from Abby's lab. In all truth he wanted to get away from the squad room for a while because he didn't want McGee or Ziva to ask him any questions. But as he took the elevator down to Abby's lab he remembered that there was a pending conversation he needed to have with her.

When he got out of the elevator he was greeted by Abby's loud heavy metal music playing. "Abby!" he screamed to get his attention but the forensic scientist could not hear him. "Abby!" Tony screamed again as he made his way over to Abby. "Abby!" he screamed one last time before reaching the radio and turning off the music himself.

Abby quickly turned around to see who it was that had turned off her encouraging music. When she noticed that it was Tony she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a giant bear hug. "Happy birthday Tony!" She squeezed him a bit tighter and he had trouble breathing.

"Uh, Abbs," he tried to peel her off himself but to no avail. "Can't breath."

Abby released her hold and apologized immediately. "Sorry," she blushed. "I would have been up sooner Tony but Gibbs has me swamped with evidence. Now tell me what can I do to make it up to you?" Abby was always the most emotional, caring person of the whole team. She always put other's well being before hers. She was selfless and loved to make people happy. Just don't get on her bad side because all the happy energy she had was used for evil things.

"Well there is one thing." He said slyly. He already had all the intentions of telling her this but now that she had brought up that she would do something he couldn't think of a better time.

"Anything," she told him smiling.

"Could you please not set Ziva up on anymore dates?"

"Did Ziva ask you to talk with me? Because she already came down here a couple of days ago screaming that I never set her up ever again." Abby winced at the memory she didn't like when people were mad at her. But then again she couldn't blame Ziva she kind of had set her up on the date with ulterior motives.

"Uh yeah, but please just don't set her up anymore, ok?" Tony was glad that Abby had drawn her own conclusion as to why it was that he was asking her to not set Ziva up. He didn't want to admit that he had come down her willingly and for his own reasons. This had nothing to do with Ziva asking him to talk with Abby. He knew that she was more than capable of getting her message across loud and clear.

"I promise no more setting Ziva up." Abby held up her right hand like what witnesses, in a courtroom, do when they swear to tell the truth while being questioned. She valued her friendship with Tony and when she made a promise to him she wanted to keep it.

Tony hugged Abby he believed her when she told him she wouldn't do something. "Thanks Abbs."

"Anytime, now get out of my lab because I have work to do." She pushed Tony out of her lab and into the elevator. "Now don't return unless you have a caf-pow." She hit the elevator button and walked back into her lab to get back to the evidence.

A while later Gibbs came down from the director's office flustered and with his clothes ruffled. No one dared comment on their boss's appearance, but they had all been thinking the same thing; _Gibbs and Jenny together again._ "DiNozzo what's with the tie?" Gibbs had seen the tie that Tony was wearing and couldn't help but be curious as to why he was wearing it.

"Isabella and Ziva gave it to me for my birthday, boss." Tony answered. Gibbs smiled he was well aware of what it was like to receive those kinds of gifts and doing or wearing whatever it was they had given you no matter how ridiculous. They were fathers and they would do whatever it was in order to keep their children happy.

"Happy birthday DiNozzo." Tony congratulated him and continued on to walk to his desk. The mail came around and dropped off three letters for Tony. He grabbed them all and opened the first one. It was from his dad wishing him a happy birthday and apologizing that he couldn't make it but he was tied up in Italy at the moment. There was 200 hundred dollars in the card and a promise to visit soon but other than that nothing else. Tony threw the card away, stashed the money, and grabbed the next card. It was from his aunt Mildred. After his mother died he was no longer able to visit her as often but when he did he cherished every moment. She had been the only one to care for him after his mother died and his father practically abandoned him. Ever since he was a baby she would send him a birthday card with money. This time it had fifty dollars and a family locket for Isabella.

_My dearest Anthony,_

Y_our father has informed me of what has happened to your wonderful wife, Kate. I am sorry that you have to suffer the loss of a partner that is a pain I would not wish upon my enemies let alone my loved one. Happy birthday my dearest Anthony and make sure to enjoy it, be grateful that you are able to live another year, and spend it with the one you love. Attached are fifty dollars for you and a locket that has been in our family for generations. That locket is for Isabella but I would like you to save it until she is old enough to cherish it._

_Love, your aunt Mildred_

He smiled, oh how he missed his aunt. She was always there for him when his father wasn't. He grabbed the card, put it in a metal container where he kept all of his aunt's cards, grabbed the locket and placed it in his backpack for safe keeping. Then he proceeded to open the third card.

_Dear Tony,_

_I hope you still remember me. I sure haven't been able to forget about you. I think about you all the time and think what could have been if I would have just said yes. The what ifs. I'm tired of thinking and would like to see you now that I have moved back to DC. Don't think I would ever forget your birthday so Happy birthday. Maybe we can meet and catch up? I have written down my phone number so please give me a call. I really look forward to your call._

_Love your dearest friend, Emma_

Tony didn't know what to feel. This woman had broken his heart. She had left him so destroyed that he had drowned his misery in alcohol for the longest time. Now she had the nerve to say she wanted to see him again? Tony crumpled the letter and stuffed it into his drawer.

They all noticed Tony's change in demeanor but no one dared to say anything except for Ziva. "Tony, are you okay?"

"Fine," Tony answered harshly. He continued to fake to do work on his computer.

Ziva was about to push him further because she knew he wasn't okay. But was interrupted by the ringing of her work phone. "Officer David," she answered.

"Yes officer David this is the receptionist from Isabella's preschool. She would like to speak with you. Can I put her through?"

"Yes of course." Ziva answered and waited for Isabella to get on the phone.

"Ziva, are you still going to come get me?" Isabella spoke into the phone as she fidgeted around unable to stand still from all the excitement of doing everything she had planned.

"I am not sure. I do not think I can leave work so easily." Ziva was trying to be as brief as possible but when it was a three year old on the other end of the phone it was a bit difficult.

"I talk to Gibbs." Isabella ordered Ziva. If anyone could convince Gibbs of anything it would be her.

Ziva put her hand on the receiver and called over to Gibbs. "Gibbs there is a woman on the phone for you. She says it is urgent." Gibbs gave her a confused look asking for more details but Ziva couldn't give it to him. He got up from his chair and went over to Ziva's desk to answer the phone.

"Yeah, Gibbs?" he answered in his normal gruff tone.

"Grandpa Gibbs. I want to make a surprise dinner for daddy with all the team. I want Ziva to come pick me up early so she help me make daddy's favorite food. Can she?" Isabella asked the sweetest way she could hoping she could convince him.

Gibbs rolled his eyes. They all knew he couldn't say no to Isabella. "Yes of course. I will see what I can do." Gibbs answered very briefly as well and hung up. He smiled on the way back to his desk. He sure missed what Tony had and that is why he was so willing to cooperate with Isabella's plan. "David I need to speak with you." Gibbs got up from his desk and headed for the elevator. Ziva got up and followed him.

Late in the afternoon the team really wasn't doing anything. They didn't have new cases and so they were just goofing off. Tony noticed that it was five, grabbed his stuff and was about to leave to get Isabella from daycare. "DiNozzo I need you to stay with McGee and finish some things."

"Boss, what about Isabella?" Today out of all days he hoped that Gibbs would let him leave early. He wanted to get Isabella from daycare and then enjoy the afternoon with her. He loved when the both of them could just spend sometime together.

"Ziva will get her and take her back to your place." Gibbs ordered. Tony just dropped his stuff back, slouched into his chair, and waited for Gibbs to give them his orders.

Ziva grabbed her stuff and headed out to pick Isabella up. On the way to the daycare she called, McGee, Ducky, and Abby to invite them over for Tony's surprise dinner. She picked up Isabella and they headed to the grocery store to pick up what they would need for the cake and dinner. Ziva grabbed a buggy and they headed down the aisles. "Okay tateleh what do you want to make your abba?"

"S'ghetti! That daddy favorite." She exclaimed.

Ziva laughed as she picked Isabella up and placed her in the child's seat. "Okay and what kind of cake?"

"Wed velvet!" Isabella licked her lips, cake sounded delicious at the moment, her stomach growling in agreement as well. She was starving she had not eaten all of her lunch and was now starting to regret it.

"Okay, well let us go get everything so that we can feed a hungry monster." Ziva laughed, poked Isabella's stomach, suggesting that the monster was Isabella's stomach, and kissed her nose causing Isabella to go into a fit of giggles. They headed to the aisles looking for all the ingredients for spaghetti, salad, and cake. It had not taken them even twenty minutes when they were already in line to check out.

They were next in line and as Isabella was helping Ziva put everything on the conveyor belt a sweet old woman tapped her on the shoulder and held out a wallet for her to take. "Here sweetie your mom must have dropped it."

Isabella smiled. "Thank you," she turned to Ziva and handed her 'mom' her wallet. "Ziva you drop you wallet."

Ziva took it, shoved it into one of her many pockets of her cargo pants, and continued to unload the stuff. "Thank you tateleh." They checked out quickly and headed back to Tony's apartment to get started on dinner for everyone.

They started with the cake since it was the thing that took the longest. They let it back as they prepared everything else. "Tell me, what did your mommy do for your daddy last year?"

Isabella sat on the counter watching as Ziva cooked the spaghetti. "We took daddy to see a James Bond marathon."

"Oh I bet your father loved that." Ziva continued to stir the sauce and spaghetti.

Isabella nodded. "Mommy said daddy thinks he's James Bond." Ziva laughed. She could believe that. He often acted like it.

_Kate knew that Tony hated celebrating his birthday. The only thing he enjoyed about it was receiving presents. So, throughout the day to make it special for him Kate would leave little gifts in his desk. Whenever he would leave his desk she would take advantage and hide all sorts of candy and love notes within it. One note said, tonight she would be all his. Tony looked up from the note and looked over at Kate. She just made a sexual face and Tony couldn't wait for night to fall. _

_Another time when he got sent down to Abby's lab she took advantage to place the meat lovers pizza she had ordered on his desk. He came back; saw the pizza and his eyes widened. He looked at Kate. "You did this?" Kate nodded and Tony ran over the five feet to her desk and kissed her. He went back to his desk, grabbed the pizza and went over to sit at Kate's desk. "Do you want a piece?" Kate took one and they sat there enjoying the pizza Kate had ordered him. _

_Again Tony left his desk to go down to autopsy. Kate hid the sunglasses she had gotten him. Isabella had managed to get Tony's favorite sunglasses all around the apartment and they got all scratched up. He was sad but he loved Isabella too much to be mad at her. He came back and Kate pretending to be working on some papers so that her next excuse would work perfectly. "Tony can I borrow your stapler? Mines stuck." He opened the drawer and saw a bag in there, he took it out and inspected it. "I felt bad that Isabella destroyed your favorite pair of sunglasses so I got you a new pair." Kate explained to him as he took out the glasses and tried them on. "Do you like them?" _

_"I love them." He took them off and walked back to Kate's desk to give her a kiss. "You're the best wife ever." _

_Kate smiled. "You'll love me even more when you find out what your last surprise is." Kate winked at him. _

_"Tell me, tell me, tell me." Tony whined like a little kid. Kate laughed, but tapped her lips so that Tony could kiss her before she told him. He gave her the kiss but asked for another. She kept asking for kissing trying to mess with him and making him wait. "Kate!" He whined. _

_"One more I promise." She told him. He gave her the kiss and stared at her hoping she would tell him. "I found a theater that is having a James Bond movie marathon. So I got us tickets to go tonight." _

_Tony's eyes widened and became excited. "Seriously?" Kate nodded. Tony leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Meet me in the men's room." He got up and headed towards the men's room. He was going to show his wife just how much he appreciated everything. Well as much as he could all the while keeping it work appropriate. _

_Later that day, they left NCIS, went for Isabella dropped her off at Abby's for the night and then headed to the theater that would be playing James Bond. Throughout the movie they cuddled. Tony placed an arm around her shoulder and Kate leaned against Tony's chest. Tony would occasionally lean down and kiss Kate's head. _

_After about the third movie Kate was starting to get a bit bored. "How about we head home and start on the next part of your present?" Tony couldn't resist when Kate offered sex so he jumped out of his chair and they headed back to their apartment. _

"Food is done." Ziva told Isabella as she set everything out to decorate the cake. "Now to decorate the cake." But before they started decorating Ziva pulled out her phone and texted McGee to let everyone else know that they could start heading over and then to bring Tony. Shortly after the cake was decorated everyone arrived and McGee said Tony was five minutes behind him.

Everyone hid in the kitchen while Ziva and Isabella sat on the couch watching whatever it was they had turned to on the TV. Ziva could hear Tony put the key in the lock; he opened the door, threw the keys in the bin, and dropped his backpack on the floor. "Hey," Tony greeted them like he was coming home to his wife and daughter.

"We left you some pizza in the kitchen." Tony nodded, went to the kitchen, and turned on the light. Ziva and Isabella followed behind him.

When Tony turned the light everyone jumped out and yelled, "surprise!" Tony jumped back and was amazed that everyone was here. "What's all this?" He asked in awe.

"Ziva an I make you s'ghetti, daddy!" Isabella said excitedly.

"You did?" But this time the question was directed towards Ziva. She nodded and pointed towards the table that had been all set. Tony kissed Isabella on the top of her head and they all headed towards the table. "Thank you this is wonderful." Tony sat down between Ziva and Isabella.

The dinner was wonderful and Isabella took pride in that she had helped Ziva make dinner. Dinner was filled with congratulations and small talk. Shortly after dinner Ziva and Isabella went back into the kitchen to get the cake they had decorated. Isabella and Ziva started singing as they brought out the cake. The rest joined in and Ziva brought the cake over to Tony so he could blow out his candles.

Isabella came over and climbed on her dad's lap. "Daddy make a wish." She encouraged him. Tony knew exactly what he was going to wish for. He thought of his wish and blew out the candles. Everyone cheered and then Ziva managed to push Tony into the cake. When he came up his whole face was covered in icing. Abby snapped a picture and the rest laughed. Tony wiped some of it off his face and smeared it on Isabella's face. He then grabbed some more icing and smeared some on Ziva's face as she cut the cake. She was not expecting that and glared at Tony with evil eyes. Everyone laughed and Abby told them to pose for a picture. It reminded her of Isabella's first birthday. But now it was Ziva in Kate's place. They did and as Abby snapped the picture she couldn't stop thinking that they looked like a family.

They all ate a piece of the delicious cake that Ziva and Isabella made. "This is amazing Ziva. I have no clue you could cook and bake this well." Tony told her. He was on his second piece of cake.

"I am more than just an assassin Tony." Ziva answered. They all laughed and continued to enjoy their cake. After more small talk between everyone they all left except for Ziva of course.

She was getting ready to leave when Isabella stopped her. "Daddy can Ziva stay and watch movies with us?" Isabella begged.

"I don't mind but you have to ask her." Isabella turned to Ziva. "Ziva do you want to stay?" Isabella made puppy dog eyes and pouted her lips.

"I cannot say no to that face." Ziva caved.

They cleaned up a bit, got Isabella bathed, in her pajamas and then headed to the couch to watch movies. Isabella got to pick the first one since they knew she would be out like a light within minutes of the movie starting. They got settled in the couch, Isabella between her dad and Ziva. Halfway through the movie Isabella had fallen asleep; her head was in Ziva's lap and her feet on her dad's. Tony and Ziva had gotten closer so that they could close the gap and not have Isabella hurt her back. It seemed Ziva had been tired as well because she feel asleep soon after, her head leaning on Tony's shoulder and her feet tucked under here. They looked so peaceful that he didn't want to move them but knew that they would be uncomfortable later on. So he turned off the movie, picked Isabella up, took her to his room, then went back for Ziva and lay her down by Isabella. Then he went to Isabella's room stripped to his boxers and lay down on the bed.

He wasn't tired, so he just lay there thinking of how great his birthday had been. He surely missed Kate and not being able to celebrate with her. But he couldn't deny that this had been one of the best birthdays. His daughter and best friend teamed up to give him an amazing surprise. He smiled at the thought of having Ziva as a friend. He was starting to enjoy her company more and more. With the thought he closed his eyes and drifted off to a blissful sleep.

**A/N I hope you guys enjoyed Tony's birthday. Pleas leave me some reviews if you did. They are all greatly appreciated along with suggestions, comment, thoughts, whatever. This story is for you guys and although I already have a couple of chapters written I can always go back in and add or incorporate it into another chapter. **


	12. It's just a nightmare

**Disclaimer: Chapter rated T for some violent material and I do not own NCIS**

**Previously on Love is a Privilege:**

He wasn't tired so he just lay there thinking of how great his birthday had been. He surely missed Kate and not being able to celebrate with her. But he couldn't deny that this had been one of the best birthdays. His daughter and best friend teamed up to give him an amazing surprise. He smiled at the thought of having Ziva as a friend. He was starting to enjoy her company more and more. With the thought he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

**Chapter 12: Ziva it's just a nightmare**

The day was playing out to be a perfectly normal day for the NCIS agents. They had just gotten a case for a dead navy lieutenant and it seemed that it would be a long night. They were all frustrated that they couldn't figure this case out. They knew no case was easy but this one was proving to be an exceptionally difficult case. All their leads were ending in dead ends. But for now that was the least of their worries.

Gibbs had gone to get coffee to blow off some steam from not being able to find anything. The rest sat at their desks going through everything again hoping that maybe they had missed something. Tony had given up; he was at the point where he was ready to poke his eyes out. He slammed his hands on his keyboard. "Damn it," He was frustrated that they couldn't find anything but he was more frustrated at the fact that this meant that they were going to have to work through the night and he hated having Isabella sleep down in Abby's lab instead of her own bed.

McGee took no notice and continued to work at his computer. Ziva on the other hand looked up and mouthed 'you okay?' Tony just nodded and they went back to their hopeless searching. Kate's death had been bringing them closer and closer, they started out as co-workers but now they were more than that. Tony realized on the day of his birthday that he enjoyed Ziva's company more than he had ever had. Isabella adored Ziva and always wanted to include her in all of their plans. It was always "Daddy let's call Ziva", or "daddy Ziva said this." All three had grown quite attached to one another and that was something that worried Tony.

The elevator dinged announcing the return of Gibbs. He was very reluctant to return and ask his team if they had anything. He didn't want to be disappointed when they announced that they had not found anything. He took a sip of coffee and walked into the squad room. "What do you've got?" He asked in his gruff voice hoping that would scare his agents into working harder. No one said anything because no one had anything. "How is it possible that three agents have not been able to find a single thing." Gibbs barked. He was frustrated with this whole case nothing was making any sense and he felt that there were things missing. He needed answers and he needed them now. He walked to his desk, slammed his coffee down, sat down, and stared his agents down.

McGee was typing furiously away on his computer, he had found something and he really hoped that it was something because otherwise their boss would not be a happy man. "Uh boss I think I found something." He got up, continued to type, grabbed the clicker, and displayed his information on the plasma screen. The three other agents got up from the desk and headed over to the plasma screen.

Gibbs was growing impatient with his probationary agent. He was still typing away and not informing on his findings. One thing Gibbs hated was being kept in the dark and that was exactly what Tim was doing at this second. "Any day now McGee." Gibbs barked at him, snapping him out of whatever trance he was in.

McGee grew nervous. "Ooof course boss," he stuttered. He clicked onto an article of a doctor and began to inform them of what he had found. "Dr. Christopher Bennett, he was the doctor in charge of our lieutenant's wife's surgery. She was going in for a simple appendectomy but didn't make it. Later it was discovered that the surgeon was drunk while he performed this surgery. Someone tipped off the lieutenant, he became enraged, and is now suing the doctor for malpractice. The doctor is being sued for ten million dollars. I also found that Dr. Bennett had been sending our lieutenant threating emails telling him that he needed to withdraw the lawsuit or else. I also went ahead and checked our lieutenant's phone records and guess which was the last phone call received before he died?"

"Dr. Bennett is looking more and more suspicious. " Tony added in. Ziva nodded in agreement.

"DiNozzo, David, I want you to bring in our suspect." McGee handed them a post it with an address. Gibbs threw the keys up in the air he didn't want to get in the middle of an argument of who was going to drive. So, he just threw the keys and let them settle it out.

Ziva caught the keys and made a funny face towards Tony. "I am driving."

"But boss I want to live." Tony protested. He knew Ziva was a bad driver but he wasn't in any real danger, he just liked to make fun of her driving skills. Gibbs gave them a you better not mess with me look and they went to their desks, grabbed their gear and headed out before Gibbs head slapped Tony. In the elevator they continued to argue about who would drive. "Come on Ziva let me drive." He whined to her.

"How about I drive there and you drive back?" she compromised and dangled the keys in front of his face to mess with him. Tony sighed but agreed nonetheless.

With Ziva driving they made it there quickly and missed traffic. They went up to the house knocked, knocked again, but no one was answering. Both called out their warning of 'federal agents' before busting through the door. They secured the area but no one was there. _Just great, Gibbs will be super pissed_ thought Tony. But before they made the dreaded phone call to Gibbs they went to question the neighbors on if they knew Dr. Bennett's whereabouts. The neighbors had said they had not seen Chris in about two days with that information Ziva called Gibbs to inform him.

Ziva got off the phone with Gibbs and immediately Tony asked her what it was he had said. Although, he could guess the mood he was in by the tone of his voice. "He wants us to head back to NCIS." Both did not want to head back because they knew that there boss would be pissed that their only suspect was MIA.

Tony took the keys from Ziva, got in the driver seat, waited for Ziva to get in and drove off. Halfway back to NCIS his cellphone rang. "Must be Gibbs," Tony grabbed his phone and answered it not bothering to check the ID. "DiNozzo," he spoke into the phone. Ziva couldn't hear who or what it was they were saying into the phone but she did notice Tony's demeanor change. He immediately became nervous, pale, and jittery. "Is she okay?" Tony asked, hung up the phone, made an illegal U-turn and stepped on the gas. Right now he didn't care that he was probably driving worse than Ziva, all he knew was that he needed to get to the preschool urgently.

Ziva didn't know whether or not Tony would give her an answer but she tried anyways. "Tony what happened?" She asked with sincere worry in her voice.

"The preschool called, it burnt down." Tony barely managed to speak. He was now going eighty, he needed to get to Isabella and make sure with his own eyes that she was okay.

Ziva was completely shocked she couldn't believe what Tony had told her. "Is she okay?" Ziva really hoped that Isabella was okay.

"They wouldn't tell me anything all they said was that I need to get to the preschool to pick her up." Tony said frustrated. How could they not tell him how his daughter was? That didn't make any sense to him.

Ziva placed a hand on Tony's shoulder. "She will be okay." Ziva said to reassure them both. She could only hope that the little girl was safe.

They made it to the preschool, Tony barely put the car in park when he was already jumping out of the car and running towards the crowd of children. Ziva turned the car off and got out of the car as well. But unlike Tony she wasn't oblivious to the giant pile of ash, the burnt building, the broken windows, and the crowd of scared children. Ziva didn't know how to react to all of this, although not quite the same, it brought back memories of her sister's bombing. But, no, she told herself. Now wasn't time to break down she needed to be strong for Tony, who would be a complete mess, and Isabella, who would be scared out of her mind.

She went to go look for them but it was they that had found her instead. "Ziva!" Isabella cried out as she jumped out of her father's arms and into Ziva's. "I so scared." Ziva looked her over as she took her into her arms. Everything seemed to be okay except that she was trembling.

"I know, tateleh, but you are okay now. You are safe." Ziva reassured her as she rocked back and forth trying to calm her down. Once she was settled a bit she stretched out her arms for her father and he took her from Ziva. Ziva felt a few drops of rain and looked up at the sky, from the stress of worrying if Isabella was okay they had not noticed that the sky was clouding. It almost looked like a scene from a horror movie. "It looks like a storm is coming." Ziva told them as they headed to the car.

On the way back to NCIS it seemed that the weather had taken a turn for the worst. It was hailing the size of baseballs, it was pouring rain to where Tony could barely see the car in front of him, and the wind was making it extremely difficult for him to control the car. He had the steering wheel in a death grip and was very tense. He had never been so scared to drive in his life. It seemed like NCIS was hours away when in reality it was only ten minutes from the preschool but with the stress it felt like an eternity.

Tony took the last turn into the Navy Yard and let out the breath he was holding. He was afraid if he allowed himself to relax he would lose control of the wheel. He parked as close to the building as possible, carried a sleeping Isabella, covered her with his jacket, and took off running with Ziva. When they made it inside they noticed that the building was fairly empty. _That's strange_ Tony thought. But they continued up to the squad room. As they exited the elevator they noticed that only Gibbs, Ducky, Abby, and McGee where there. "What's going on?" Tony asked.

"There is a tornado warning. Vance sent everyone home but we refused until we knew you guys were safe." Abby ran over to them and gave them a hug. Glad to see that they were okay.

"Where were you DiNozzo, David?" No one had seen Isabella under Tony's jacket.

"Boss Isabella's preschool burnt down and I had to go get her." He took his jacket off of a sleeping Isabella to show his boss that he wasn't lying.

Gibbs nodded. "There is no way we are driving home in this and we need to get away from the windows." The wind was getting stronger and just in case it was not safe to be in the squad room Gibbs ordered them all down to autopsy.

In autopsy, they all kind of spaced themselves out. Ziva, Tony and Isabella sat over by the freezers, Abby and Tim against a table and Gibbs and Ducky in at his desk. That didn't go unnoticed by Gibbs how each chose to wonder off with an agent of the opposite sex. He continued to study their actions wondering if either of them was breaking rule twelve and if they were stupid enough to do it in front of his boss. He knew he had made an exception with Tony and Kate, but now he wasn't so sure it had been such a great idea. He was as of now officially reinstating rule twelve. He continued to watch them, study them; he didn't like how close they were to one another especially Tony and Ziva. He really wasn't worried about McGee and Abby; he was more concerned about Tony and Ziva. He feared that those two might actually be breaking rule twelve.

Ziva stared at a slightly snoring, Isabella, fast asleep in her father's lap. "I am glad she is okay." Ziva played with Isabella's hair gently as not to wake her.

Tony kissed Isabella on the head grateful that she was here safe and sound. He didn't know what he would have done if she would have been hurt. He couldn't have lived with himself. "I know." Tony agreed.

Gibbs turned on an old radio found in Ducky's supply closet. He turned it on so that it could fill the silence that lingered in autopsy. The energy in the room was as cold and dead as the bodies that were brought into autopsy. After another ridiculously annoying song finished a weathercast tuned in announcing a tornado was spotted near the DC area and that it was highly suggested every one stay in doors and away from windows until further notice. Gibbs got up without a word and headed up to MTAC to speak with director Vance.

Ziva was trying really hard to stay awake and not fall asleep against Tony's muscular arm. But the past several restless nights were finally catching up to her and her eyes were slowly getting heavier and heavier until she allowed sleep to overtake her. Minutes later, Tony heard light snores but they didn't belong to his daughter, they were Ziva's. She had slept over often enough to where Tony could distinguish their snores. He glanced down to confirm his suspicions and found her fast asleep against his arm. He smiled widely as he rested his head against the wall and joined them in sleep.

Abby looked up, from a game of Chinese fingers she was playing with McGee, over to Ziva's direction. She tugged McGee from his shirt collar, stood him up, and dragged him over to get Ducky. "Lets go get some food from the break room." Abby suggested. She wanted to allow them some space to sleep.

Only light snores could be heard, coming from Ziva and Isabella, throughout autopsy until the silence that filled autopsy was disrupted by the screams of a woman in agony. The screams and murmurs of "I am sorry Ari. So sorry Ari" startled Tony out his peaceful sleep. He jumped but then settled himself back to sleep once he realized he was only dreaming. But when another painful cry escaped the trembling, sweating agent leaning on him he realized he had not been dreaming. He was conflicted, he knew that if he woke her he risked a slow and painful death but when he heard another cry and saw her face of agony and pain he knew he had to wake her no matter the consequence.

He gently shook her so not to startle the dangerous Mossad assassin. But that didn't wake her, she just cried out "no Ari!"

Tony tired a different approach; he rubbed her arm up and down in a soothing manner. "Ziva, Ziva wake. It's just a nightmare." But she wouldn't wake she just kept shaking uncontrollably. He tried once again, rubbing her arm soothingly, and telling her she's just having a nightmare.

She startled awake with a beating sweat, heart pounding a mile a minute, and tears falling rapidly from her eyes. Tony was stunned he had never seen her so vulnerable, so fragile. Let alone see the Mossad officer cry. Her whole body was trembling and she kept crying out Ari's name, saying it was all her fault. She didn't look at all like the confident Ziva David Tony was used to seeing. His heart broke at seeing her so broken. He grabbed her trembling body and wrapped both his arms around her. She didn't fight his hold; instead she melted her body into his. He just kept rubbing her back until she finally calmed down enough a bit. "Ziva what's wrong? What has you like this?" Tony asked worriedly. He knew nothing scared her, so for something to have her waking up screaming it had to be something serious. She stayed quite just crying into his shirt. "Ziva will you please tell me?" He begged.

She nodded against his shirt and lifted her head. But Tony didn't release his hold on her and Ziva made no effort to get out of it. "Remember when I told you we had Ari taken care of and you said there was something I was not telling you?" Tony nodded. He remembered seeing something in her eyes that was saying there was something that wasn't quite right. "Well what I did not tell you was that it was I who killed Ari and now it haunts me in my sleep. But they are not as it really happened. Ari is pleading for his life and I the cold blood killer that I am shot my brother without a second thought."

Tony squeezed her tighter as the tears quickly escaped her eyes. "But you are not a cold blooded killer." He knew her; she was more than just an assassin. She was a woman, compassionate, loyal, funny and smart. He would not allow her for one second to think she was just a killer.

"Tony you cannot say that. You were not there you do not know what happened." She argued, she would never be able to forgive herself for killing her brother. The same brother that always protected her from her punishment from her father when they were younger, from her schoolmates. The brother that held her and told her everything would be okay when their mother died, the same brother that read them stories and played games with him. That was her brother not the man she had seen that night in Gibbs basement.

"Then tell me." Tony encouraged her. His arms were still securely wrapped around her.

_Ziva found herself driving to an abandoned warehouse in the middle of the night. Ari had called her and told her that he needed to urgently speak with her in person. They both knew the risks involved in seeing one another but neither cared. Ziva didn't care if she was caught by Tony or Gibbs himself. All she wanted was to see her brother again. She parked her car in the dark alley, made sure no one was following and then ran into the warehouse. "Ari, where are you?" She said barely above a whisper. _

_She looked around the warehouse searching for her brother; there was no sign of him. She was starting to wonder if this was a set up on Ari's part. The door crept and Ziva's Mossad instincts kicked in. She turned around and saw a dark figure walk through the door. The lighting in the warehouse was not very bright so she could not see details at a distance. The dark figure walked towards Ziva and see instinctively hid behind the closest thing she could find. But the voice calling for her caused her to jump out of hiding and into her brother's arms. "Ari, are you okay?" She asked him as she kept her hold on him. He was the only sibling she had left and she was going to cherish him. _

_"I am fine, Ziva." He reassured her as he too kept his hold on her. _

_Realizing why she had come here for she released his hold and her face turned serious. "Ari, you know abba has ordered me to kill you." She informed him. Her father had sent her to America to put a stop to all of Ari's madness. She had not wanted to believe her father, but now that she was in America with him she could see that her father was once again right. He no longer was the brother she would chase through the streets of Israel begging to let her join him and his friends. _

_"I have not done what the Americans have accused me of." He defended himself. Of all the people he thought he could count on his sister to believe him. _

_"Ari I am not blind I have seen it myself you are no longer the brother I was knew. You have changed. America has changed you." Ziva cried there was no way she could bring herself to do this. _

_"That may be true but I am still your brother Ziva. My actions towards you remain the same." _

_"I do not want to lose you Ari. I cannot do what father has asked of me. I am not strong enough to kill my own brother." Ziva lunged herself at her brother almost knocking him over with the force she lunged herself at him. _

_Ari wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "You will not lose me. I will always be in your heart. But orders are orders and you cannot defy fathers. I know that I have disgraced not only our family but our country as well. You must do what is asked of you Ziva. You must make father proud." _

_"But Ari you can go to abba and apologize. I know he is not the easiest man but we can fix this. You do not have to die." She was trying to convince Ari of anything but what she was ordered to do. _

_"There is no other way. I wish there was. I love you Ziva do not ever forget that." They took a moment to enjoy the silence and the warmth they gave off. Ziva couldn't understand how her father could be such a heartless man. How he could send the daughter he raised as a killer to go and take out his only son. That she would never understand. _

_"I love you too Ari." He kissed the top of her head and then pulled her from his chest. _

_"Now I have a plan that will help you gain Gibbs trust and make father proud of you. Listen carefully." Ari continued on to tell her the plan that would help her ease her way into NCIS. Soon after, she left the warehouse and went back to NCIS to carry out the plan. _

"So now you know what really happened." Tony had not released his hold on Ziva the entire time she had told him the story and for that she had been grateful. Retelling the story had reopened wounds that had not yet healed properly and she feared that once Tony found out what had truly happened he would no longer want her around them both.

"I honestly don't know what to say that could make you feel better. But all I know is that you are not a cold blooded killer. There is more to you than just Mossad assassin and I hope that one day you realize the amazing woman you truly are." Tony didn't know the exact words he could say. He didn't know what she was feeling or what she was going through. He had an idea because he blamed himself for Kate's death. But he didn't actually pull the trigger that killed her. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it felt like to carry a burden like that.

Ziva was stunned she was sure he would be running for his life right about now. But yet, he sat there, holding her, reassuring her that she wasn't a killer that she was a woman, an amazing woman at that. That thought alone mad her smile. Until now everyone just saw her as a deadly weapon. Nobody bothered to get to know her, the real Ziva, not even her father. He just saw her for what he made her, a deadly weapon. "Thank you," she whispered to him. They just stayed like that in each others arms. No one cared that maybe they were overstepping the boundaries of friends. But she needed someone, she had been there for him, now it was his turn to be there for here and if it meant holding her to keep her from shaking then he didn't mind.

The weather was starting to clear and the news had announced that there was no longer a tornado watch. Now that it was safe to roam the building Gibbs sent his team back to work. There was still a murderer on the loose. The only two members of his team that he could not locate were Tony and Ziva. McGee had gone to the squad room, Gibbs stayed in MTAC, and Abby, Ducky and Palmer were stuck in Abby's lab trying to recreate the crime scene and murder. Abby's lab phone rang distracting them from their on going rant. She hit answer and Gibbs appeared on the screen. "Hiya Gibbs," Abby answered her silver haired boss.

"Abby I need to speak with Ducky." Gibbs said not as enthusiastically as Abby had. Abby moved out of the way allowing Ducky to approach the video phone.

"What can I do for you Jethro?" Ducky asked in his formal manner.

"Duck, there is a body waiting downstairs for you. The FBI had sent it over. They informed me that they have reason to believe that they are essential to our investigation." Gibbs informed Ducky and hung up the phone immediately not waiting for a reply.

"Oh dear," Ducky said to himself. He turned to Abby and asked her to send Anthony a text asking him to receive and sign off on the body seeing as he was engrossed at the moment.

Ziva had started to calm down. She had to admit that Tony had some type of control of her senses. It felt nice to be in his hold. But the vibrating of his cellphone brought them back to reality. Now aware of where she was, Ziva wiped away the tears fiercely, although there was no reason to because she had broken down in front of Tony. Giving her some space to compose herself Tony got up from the floor and went to stand by the sliding doors to check his phone. He had ten missed calls from Gibbs, five voicemails, which he assumed to be very angry ones from his boss, and a text from Abby, ignoring the voicemails, he went straight to Abby's text. _Tony, why the hell aren't you answering your phone? Gibbs wanted me to tell you that we are no longer on tornado watch and that we have a case to solve. Ducky needs to receive a body that is being sent over from our beloved friends the FBI._ Tony laughed internally at the words beloved friends mixed in the same sentence as the FBI. "Ziva, can you watch Isabella for a second? I have to go sign off on a delivery." Tony was careful to not use the words dead body just in case Isabella wasn't fully asleep. Ziva nodded and Tony headed off to the basement.

Half an hour later, Tony was returning with the body, a gurney, and a very awkward scrawny man. Apparently, he was there to ensure that the body made its way to autopsy. He signed the release form and the man left shortly after. Tony, the nosy agent he is, couldn't resist not taking a peak as to what the body bag contained. So, before he stuck the body in the cooler he unzipped it just enough so that it would only be visible to his eyes. Thankfully for Tony, Isabella was still asleep and he wouldn't have to explain anything to her curious three-year-old mind. Tony unzipped the body bag but stopped dead in his track once he saw what was truly waiting for them in the bag. His blood quickly draining from his face, leaving him ghostly white, he gulped and continued to stare at what was in front of him. "What have I gotten us into?" Tony whispered under his breath.

**A/N So sorry to leave it as a cliffhanger. But I promise it will be worth the wait. Hoped you enjoyed the chapter. It was actually inspired by a review of someone wanting to see the interaction between Ziva and Ari before she shot him. If you did like it please leave me a review. Those are always much appreciated especially with the week I'm having I need some encouragement. Well enough of me go review!**


	13. Who the hell are you?

**Disclaimer: Rated T and I do not own NCIS**

**Previously on Love is a Privilege:**

Half an hour later Tony was returning with the body, a gurney, and a very awkward scrawny man. Apparently, he was there to ensure that the body made its way to autopsy. He signed the release form and the man left shortly after. Tony the nosy agent he is couldn't resist not taking a peak as to what the body bag contained. So, before he stuck the body in the cooler he unzipped it just enough so that it would only be visible to his eyes. Thankfully for Tony Isabella was still asleep and he wouldn't have to explain anything to her curious three year old mind. Tony unzipped the body bag but stopped dead in his track once he saw what was truly waiting for them in the bag. His blood quickly draining from his face, leaving him ghostly white, he gulped and continued to stare at what was in front of him. "What have I gotten us into?" Tony whispered under his breath.

**Chapter 13: Who the hell are you?**

Ziva watched Tony carefully noticing his body stiffen, the blood rushing from his face, and the way he started to breathe unevenly. Immediately she knew something wasn't quite right. "Tony is everything okay?" He didn't answer; he just continued to stare into the body bag intently. Ziva could literally feel the panic that Tony's body was radiating. She placed Isabella back on the floor, got up, and slowly walked over to where Tony was standing emotionless. "Tony?" Ziva called out to him once again as she made her way over to his side. But again, he completely ignored her. He stood like a statue, his vision never leaving whatever it was that was inside of the body bag.

Ziva was going to call Tony's name once again but was stopped by what she had saw. A petite, wavy black haired, woman, Aviva Haswari as Ziva knew her by, lay inside pointing a gun up at them. Ziva was unfazed by the woman's threats. She knew her very well professionally and casually, she on occasion had been her partner on missions but overall she had been her best friend from childhood. "What are you doing here?" Ziva asked protectively, her eyes displaying nothing but rage and anger.

The Israeli woman also not fazed by Ziva's threats, although she was capable of outfighting her, made her way out of the bag, the gun never leaving its position. Tony and Ziva instinctively both turned to look at Isabella's sleeping form. The fear they both felt wasn't for them but for the little girl who so innocent slept peacefully on the floor. They both moved back as Aviva made her way out of the bag. "Instructions first, questions later she barked." She pushed her nine mil aggressively into Tony's chest ushering him towards the light switch. "Lights off." She barked. Tony headed towards the light switch, rubbing gently over where she had pushed in the gun. _That's going to leave a bruise, _Tony thought. He turned the same lights off, which he had not so long ago turned back on, plunging the morgue into utter darkness.

Aviva surveyed the room, searching for video cameras, before shooting the two that hung in the opposite corners of autopsy cutting them off from the rest of NCIS surveillance. Her next demand was that they issue a warning that prevented others from entering autopsy. "We are not ME's they will know something suspicious is going on if I turn the infectious body signal on." Tony told the Israeli woman.

She pushed her gun once again into Tony's chest. "I do not care. Do it. If they are to come down and question say that there was physical evidence of an infection." Aviva was growing rather impatient. She had been meticulously working on her plan for over eight years. The little patience that she had was now long gone.

"What if we do not do what it is you ask of us?" Ziva challenged Aviva.

Aviva pointed her gun at Isabella and looked Ziva in the eye. "Do not think Ziva that I have come unprepared. I have been watching you for weeks and I am well informed of your life. Do not think that you could easily fool your father of your marriage and child. Listen closely Ziva." Aviva motioned Ziva to come closer and pointed to the child that lay peacefully on the floor. "See your precious daughter there. She will be the first to suffer if what I ask of either of you is not met." Ziva froze. She knew that she could take on Aviva even if it caused her her life. But the reminder from Aviva that Isabella would be harmed in this she was not willing to risk that.

Ziva turned to look at Tony they both had the same fear in their eyes. They knew if it was just the two of them they would not give in to what she asked but they wouldn't risk Isabella's life. "We will do as you say but do not harm them. If you are to harm anyone let it be me." Ziva said simply, but Tony could read more into her words. She was pleading to Aviva, although she would never admit to it because Ziva David did not show weakness unto others, only Tony had been privileged to see a vulnerable Ziva.

Tony walked back over to the automatic sliding door, walked out of them, flipped the switch that signaled the morgue was hosting an infectious body, and walked back over to stand next to Ziva. "Now that we have done as you asked tell me why are you here? What is it that you want?" Ziva asked harshly.

"Why all the hostility?" Aviva asked cynically. "What has America done to you Ziva? We used to be best friends like sisters. Why is it that you treat me like the enemy? You have been at this agency for too long. You have forgotten where your loyalties lie. I am not the enemy they are." Aviva spat.

"You want to question my loyalties. What about you? You betrayed my father but most importantly you betrayed me. You were a sister to me and yet you try to kill me. That is not true friendship. So do not come to lecture me about loyalties if that is the reason for you visit today." Ziva argued back. She would never forgive Aviva for betraying mossad for the Russians and almost ending her life that day. If it had not been for Aviva's gun jamming, she would not be standing there today.

"I am not here to argue over something so petty. I am here to finish what my husband started, killing each and every one of team Gibbs. I am here to seek revenge for the death of my beloved husband. It will be a pleasure to kill you specifically, Ziva. But it will be an even greater one to watch you squirm as I kill the ones you love, your husband and daughter. You will feel the pain that I felt when I lost the love of my life."

Both Tony and Ziva's eyes widened as they came into realization as to who this Israeli's husband was. "Your husband was Ari?" Ziva spat. She couldn't believe it. It couldn't have been true. There was no way that Ari was married to a trader. But then again it all began to make sense. Ari would have done anything to spite their father. He never forgave him for the way that he raised and created them.

"Your brother and I were married way before the Russian mission. It was all his idea for us to betray mossad, yourself, and your father. I simply stood by my husband's side." Aviva responded, a cynical smile escaping her lips.

Ziva's jaw tightened, her hands went into tight fists, and red surrounded her eyes. Out of reflex she threw herself at Aviva but Tony pulled her back before she had a chance to land the first punch. Aviva's gun went back to point at Isabella. She waved her finger back and forth, tching. "I would not do that if I were you. I can just as easily put a bullet through her skull." Aviva's pointer finger lingered on the trigger just waiting for one of them to lose it so she had an excuse to shoot.

At the threat Tony's heart dropped. His daughter shouldn't have to be in this situation. Thankfully she was asleep. Tony held back Ziva, he knew she wouldn't purposely do anything that would put Isabella in harm but he knew she had a short temper and sometimes reacted instinctively ending in someone getting either killed or harmed. "You harm either of them you will not live to see tomorrow." Tony growled protectively.

Aviva kept her gun pointed at Isabella just waiting for a response to trigger her. "Would you like to test that theory Agent DiNozzo?" Aviva answered once again cynically. She wanted to see them squirm instilling some fear into them. She pulled the trigger and a gunshot went off. In that moment both Ziva and Tony's heart dropped, they couldn't bear to look in the direction of the gun firing. But they knew she had been shot. All the feelings and memories of when Kate died come flooding back.

_Gibbs and Tony were helping Kate up after being shot at point blank range. "Protection detail is over." Gibbs informed Kate. She had now done her duty and he didn't want her taking more bullets for him. _

"_You did good Kate." Tony praised his wife. He was now trying to lighten the mood after watching his wife get shot. For a moment he had believed she was dead and now that the nerves and shock wore off he was able to joke. _

"_For once I agree with DiNozzo." Gibbs smirked. He rarely agreed with his senior field agent but for once he said something correctly._

"_Wow, I thought I would die before I heard a compl…" She wasn't able to finish her sentence before a bullet went through her skull. Blood splattered all over Tony as she fell to the floor. Tony shocked from what happened stood still looking around the rooftop trying to find the person responsible. _

_Tony forced himself to look down, hoping that he was dreaming that when he would look down Kate really wouldn't be on the floor of the rooftop dead. He looked down and saw what he feared the most, his wife's cold and lifeless body. He fell to his knees, his body numb from the emotions, he tried to sake Kate awake hoping praying that maybe she would wake up but the blood gushing from her forehead told him other wise. Kate was not going to wake up. He knew a shoot to the brain was a kill shot. He stayed on his knees; bringing his hands up to his face and sobbed. He didn't care that Gibbs was there, watching him; he didn't care about anything. He just wanted for all of this to be bad dream. He sobbed against his hands calling for Kate's name, willing her to wake up, even though he knew it was impossible. He prayed like he had never in his life asking God that he would do anything if he just brought his wife back. _

_Tony didn't know how long he had been sitting on the rooftop or when Gibbs had left him. All he knew was that without Kate time felt like an eternity. He didn't want to live without her. Tony was startled when McGee tapped him on the shoulder; he looked up with tear filled eyes. He looked around and saw that Ducky and Palmer were waiting with a gurney. He assumed they needed him to move so they could take Kate's body. But he didn't want to leave he; he couldn't leave her. It was his wife that was lying on the floor lifeless. It angered him that they wanted to take her so quickly. He couldn't understand how they could be so heartless, so cold. They were treating it like any other case. But this wasn't any other case this was Kate, his wife, his partner. He wouldn't be indifferent to this. He wouldn't rest until he found the bastard that killed his wife. He would find him and make him suffer. Tony didn't care if it landed him in jail. He didn't care if he lost his life in the process. He didn't care about anything. Life without Kate wasn't a life worth living. "Uh Tony we need to take Kate now." McGee said nervously. He didn't know how to approach his coworker. He didn't know how Tony was reacting and let alone what he was thinking. _

_Tony's blood boiled, his face turned red, and his expression cold. "You will not take Kate. You don't care about her. You are just treating her like its any other case and it isn't. She's my wife." By now the tears were flowing again, his face getting tomato red as the anger boiled inside him. He started screaming at them. McGee, Ducky, and Palmer froze surprised by Tony's sudden outburst. They didn't understand what it was like to lose a spouse. They didn't know the pain it caused, the void it created. "My wife, and she will be treated like what she was. A hero. She took a bullet for Gibbs. She risked her life to protect him and that means something. I will not just allow you to throw her down in autopsy. You will take care of her. You will treat her with modesty." Tony was shaking. He was completely repulsed by the sight of his coworkers. The person that had shot his wife also repulsed him. The tears began to fall more when he remembered the son or daughter that he would never get to meet because they had died with Kate. _

_McGee approached him slowly placing a hand on his shoulder. "Tony we are sorry. We didn't me-"_

_But Tony storming off the rooftop cut him off. He couldn't take it anymore. He didn't want their petty apologies. He didn't want empty words. He didn't want to hear anything. He wanted his wife back and nothing any one said would make that happen._

After a few moments they heard a startling cry coming from Isabella. Both released a breath they didn't know they had been holding. Tony slowly looked up in Isabella's direction; she didn't seem to be bleeding anywhere. Tony must have had a troubling expression because Aviva began to laugh. "Next time I will not miss purposely."

She came running over to her dad and he immediately picked her up. She leaned her head and began to sob. Tony rubbed her back gently. "Daddy I scawed." She cried against his soldier.

Tony continued to rub Isabella's back in a comforting manner. He was trying to settle her down but knew that there was no way she would. An adult couldn't handle this let alone a three-year-old girl. He just needed to get his daughter out safely even if it meant risking his own life. "Please just let my daughter go. She's only three she has nothing to do with this."

Isabella held out her hand wanting Ziva to take it. "Ziva," she called out wearily.

Ziva scooted over and took her hand. "I am here tateleh."

Aviva smirked. "The only way your daughter will walk out of here alive is if your boss takes her place."

Both Tony and Ziva almost laughed there was no way Gibbs would agree to something like that. Especially when it had to do with terrorist and Ari. "Our boss does not negotiate with terrorist." Ziva spat back at Aviva.

"Your boss? Does your loyalty not lie with mossad anymore Ziva? You would rather protect these silly Americans then your own country?" Aviva laughed at what she had said. "America has made you soft. Family has made you soft." Ziva did not respond. She knew Aviva was just trying to provoke her. She wanted any reason to shoot. "I do not care if your boss." Aviva made sure to emphasize the word your for Ziva's sake. "Does not negotiate with terrorist he will negotiate with me. Now agent DiNozzo if you will be so kind as to connect me to your boss."

"We do not take orders from terrorist." Tony spat holding Isabella tighter as if Aviva would try and pry her from his hold.

Aviva walked over to them and held her gun up to the back of Isabella's head. "Would you like to try that again agent DiNozzo?" Tony sighed before handing Isabella over to Ziva. Isabella reluctantly went with Ziva. She didn't want to leave the safety of her father's arms. But since she did, Ziva was the best second choice. She felt just as safe there. Tony walked over to the phone, the barrel of the gun pocking him uncomfortably in the back. "That is what I thought agent DiNozzo." She shoved the gun into his back causing Tony to groan in pain from the force that was exerted. "Dial," she ordered him as she shoved him closer to Ducky's autopsy phone.

As Tony dialed each number, at such a pace that infuriated the young Israeli, he considered calling a bogus number. But the cons outweighed the pros. He's daughter's life was at stake and he wasn't willing to risk her safety over his boss's. After a short ring Gibbs picked up his phone. Once again Aviva shoved the phone into his back, signaling him to put it on speaker. "Gibbs?" he answered in his usual grumpy manner.

"Boss," was all Tony managed to get out before Gibbs was yelling at him.

"DiNozzo where the hell have you been? We have a case to solve and you are somewhere playing house with Agent David. Get your asses up to Abby's lab now." Gibbs barked. Clearly frustrated with his two agents. He needed them and they had disappeared from his radar for nearly three hours now.

"I am sorry about keeping your agents from their work. It is my fault that they are not solving your case. They have been preoccupied at the moment trying not to get themselves killed by me." Aviva told him.

Gibbs's blood startled to boil in anger. No one threatened his team and got away with it. "Who the hell is this?" He spat angrily.

"No need to be hostile agent Gibbs. But this is no time for greetings. I have called to inform you that if you would like to save the life of an innocent child I would suggest you come down to autopsy."

"I do not take orders from terrorist." Gibbs barked. After with what happened with Ari he knew that going against them was sometimes better.

"I am afraid that this time you do not have a choice. It is either you in autopsy or the life of a child." Aviva bargained, smiling because she knew in the end the terrorist always won.

Gibbs knew what Tony must have been going through. If Kelly was ever in that situation he wouldn't want to put her life in any danger. He mentally slapped himself for going against his own rules. But there were extraordinary circumstances where one had to make exceptions. He couldn't allow Isabella to be harmed because of his own stubbornness. "I will only go down to autopsy if you promise me that you will release her to one of my agents immediately." Gibbs was going over to McGee to ask him to accompany him down to autopsy so that as soon as Isabella was released he could bring her back to the squad room.

"I am a woman of my word Agent Gibbs. Now you must hurry the offer only last so long." Aviva pushed the tip into Tony's back once again. He let out a slight moan and then hung up the phone. They walked back over to where Ziva and Isabella were. They only hoped that Gibbs would hurry. They both wanted Isabella out of there more than they wanted to make it out alive.

Right after Gibbs hung up with the Israeli woman he went to find McGee. He needed someone with him that could ensure the safety of Isabella. They made it down to autopsy. But Gibbs wasn't stupid he had come prepared. Gibbs approaches the door of autopsy but like he suspected the doors were closed. He told McGee to stay back and he stood in front of the door until someone came up and opened it.

Aviva sent Tony to open the doors. Gibbs walked in but before he went any further he had to ensure that Isabella would be safe. "I'm here now it is your turn to hold up your end of the bargain."

"Do not be so impatient Agent Gibbs. Before I release the young one I must take a good look at your other agent." Aviva had no intentions of releasing any of the agents. Tricking them was just plot to get all of team Gibbs down in one place. So that she could get her revenge on them.

Normally Gibbs wouldn't be so willing but when it involved the life of a child he would do as asked. If Isabella hadn't been there he would have already pulled the trigger on Aviva. McGee also knowing what was at stake approached his boss's side. "Please come in for a cup of tea." Aviva told them sarcastically. She placed the gun behind Agent McGee and led them in then ordered Tony to shut the door. They did as she ordered. They now knew how crazy she was and what she was capable of.

"Sorry boss." Tony whispered over to Gibbs. It was their fault that they were stuck in this mess. They made their way back over to the middle of autopsy. She gathered them all like cows that were waiting to be slaughtered.

"We are inside now let my agent and Isabella go." Gibbs demanded. There was no way he was going to let a terrorist win this.

"Tsk Tsk Agent Gibbs." Aviva waved her finger back and forth to shut Gibbs up. "You are in no position to order me. I never had any intentions of releasing any of you. I do not keep my promises." She walked up to Gibbs seductively and got in to his face. "Tell me what you know about what Americans want with the Russians." She ran her hand down his cheek.

Gibbs grabbed her hand and held it in a tight grip. "Tell me who you are." He gave her his intimidating interrogation stare but she didn't budge she just laughed in his face.

It was exactly what she wanted, to tell him who she was. She knew it would make him cringe once he knew and that excited her in everyway possible. They thought they were getting her but they were falling into her trap more and more. This time she was certain she wouldn't fail like her husband. She would succeed and she would get her revenge once and for all. All those years of waiting would soon come to an end. In the end it would all be worth it. "It would be my pleasure." She stepped back and stood like she was posing for a glamour magazine. "I am Aviva Haswari." Gibbs must have let the shock he felt show through because Aviva laughed in his face. "Do not look so shocked Agent Gibbs. You have heard correctly. I did say Haswari. I am Ari's wife and I am here to seek revenge for his death, finish what he started, and for information on Russian Intel." She allowed the information to sink in before she continued further. "Now that you know who I am. It is time for you to tell me what you know about the last American mission against the Russian agency."

Gibbs stood there, not saying anything. His arms were crossed and he stared intently at Aviva. To say he shock was an understatement. He couldn't believe that Ari was once a married man and now the past came back to bite him in the ass. He wouldn't allow this to be a repeat of what happened two years ago. Gibbs stayed quiet he wasn't going to talk.

Minutes past and Aviva grew impatient with Gibbs. She knew he was stubborn but this was getting ridiculous. Without warning Aviva grabbed her gun, pointed it at McGee, and pulled the trigger shooting him in his left shoulder. Immediately McGee raised his hand up to his wound wincing in pain as his hand came in contact with the open wound. Pain overcame all his other senses. It was like he was stuck in a pain box. He couldn't hear anything, see anything, or feel anything other than pain. He wanted to cry he really did but his agent training taught him better than that. He wouldn't cry in front of a terrorist, a young girl who was probably scared more than all of them, his coworkers, and especially his boss. He kept it in but he was grateful when he felt another set of hands wrapping his wound with a cloth. He started to shake in pain; cold sweat building up in his pores, all he could see was darkness. He knew that in a few minutes he wouldn't be conscious.

Tony went over to McGee to help him with his wound; Isabella jumped out of Ziva's arms and ran after her father. Aviva took the opportunity as Isabella ran by and grabbed her arm fiercely leaving marks all over her. She was sure to have many bruises tomorrow morning. Aviva grabbed her and pulled her back up against her chest, she pulled out her knife hidden securely in her boot, and pushed it up against Isabella's neck. "Would you like to try this again Agent Gibbs?" She pushed the knife in a bit further. It didn't break skin but it was enough to scare Isabella. She let out a cry in fear and pain. Ziva looked on with eyes of terror. She was sure that Gibbs wouldn't allow any harm to come to Isabella. "Tell me what you know about the American mission against the Russians." She told him once again impatiently.

"I know that our agency will stop yours in whatever terrorist act you have planned." Gibbs answered wittily. He wasn't going to give in so easily. Yes, he was aware that she currently had Isabella in her hold but his gut was telling him that she wouldn't harm an innocent child.

Fed up with Gibbs's attitude Aviva starts to cut Isabella's throat. She wails and gives out a piercing cry as she feels the cool blade cut into her fair skin. She feels the warm, stinging blood trickle down her neck. She cries more in fear than actual pain.

Tony hearing Isabella's screams looks up from helping McGee. He sees the blood sliding down her neck, the blade going further and further along her neck as Aviva hurts her without pity. Tony fears the worst. In an act of desperation he screams at his boss not worrying about the consequences that would expect him for yelling at him. "Tell her what she wants to know!" Tony screams with tears in his eyes. He was frustrated with his boss, himself, and the situation at hand.

"We have been keeping an intent eye on Russian arms dealers." Gibbs began; Aviva smirked, and pushed Isabella on the floor brutally. Gibbs continued to tell her what he knew. His planned had failed him his gut had failed him. He was angry with himself even though it had not happened the same way it had all ended the same; with his team hurting.

While Gibbs continued to tell Aviva what she wanted to know Ziva ran over to Isabella to pick her up. She took her over to Ducky's supply closet to grab rubbing alcohol and a sanitized wipe to clean her off and keep it from bleeding out. She needed to inspect her cut to make sure it wasn't life threatening. She sits Isabella on Ducky's chair so that she could inspect it. She was glad that Aviva was currently distracted with Gibbs so that they were able to clean her up.

Aviva dropped the knife and pulled out her gun and held it to Gibbs's forehead. "Now that I have what I need to know you are no longer any use to me. I will finally get my revenge and it will start with her." Aviva pulled the gun over to Ziva. Who had already remembered the gun hiding in Ducky's desk, he had placed it there after the first time they had been held hostage, and pointed it at her. But Aviva was faster and pulled the trigger. It grazed Ziva in the arm but she had been trained for these kinds of things. She didn't allow the pain to keep her from her mission and shot. It hit Aviva in the head blowing her brains out and splattering blood all over the autopsy floor.

Aviva landed on the floor with a thud. Tony immediately rushed over to Isabella and Ziva's side. She dropped the gun and pulled her hand up to her arm. The bullet had thankfully only grazed her leaving a black mark. She would be sore for a couple of days but other than that she was fine. He pulled Ziva and Isabella into a tight embrace forgetting that they were both injured they winced in pain. He released his hold on them but he didn't completely release them. He was so excited this was all over and they were all okay.

Gibbs went over to check on McGee, he had passed out, worried Gibbs pulled out his cellphone and dialed an ambulance. Then went over to Tony and ordered them to go get checked out. But Tony caught in the moment had not heard a single word his boss had said. He was still pissed at him for allowing his daughter to get hurt. He wouldn't forgive him for that but for now he would enjoy holding them glad that they were safe.

**I hope the cliffhanger was worth it. If it was please leave me a review especially since tomorrow is in fact my birthday. If I find the time I will be posting an extra chapter tomorrow just because its my birthday. Thanks you guys for all your previous reviews you guys are awesome. **

**-Ximena**


	14. Isabella's birthday

**A/N You guys are amazing. I cannot thank you enough. Thank you for all of your birthday wishes. I have looked at my schedule and it seems that I have a full week of tests so I do not know if I will be able to do an update for Tuesday. But here is this one to get you until Friday. **

**Previously on Love is a Privilege:**

Gibbs went over to check on McGee, he had passed out; worried Gibbs pulled out his cellphone and dialed an ambulance. Then went over to Tony and ordered them to go get checked out. But Tony caught in the moment had not heard a single word his boss had said. He was still pissed at him for allowing his daughter to get hurt. He wouldn't forgive him for that but for now he would enjoy holding them glad that they were safe

**Chapter 14: Isabella's birthday**

After the week that they had lived, the DiNozzo family more than welcomed a fun, carefree day. Today was Isabella's fourth birthday and Tony planned to make it a special one especially since it would be the first of many birthdays she would not spend with her mother. This slightly bothered Tony but he had more pressing matters to deal with, like the nightmares that the events of days ago left behind. Everyone that had been down in autopsy had been affected by it in some way or another. Isabella had reoccurring nightmares; her nightmares involved both Ziva and Tony leaving her, just like her mother had, causing Isabella to become quite clingy with Tony and Ziva. She wanted to make sure that they were okay and weren't going to go anywhere. But honestly they all were all fine. Some more than other of course, Ziva had only been grazed by the bullet leaving her with a sore arm. McGee had been immediately rushed to the hospital and upon arrival taken into immediate surgery to remove the bullet that still penetrated his arm. They had successfully removed the bullet but the doctors had said that he would be out for a while and even then it would be a month or two before he was able to go back into fieldwork for the meantime he was chained to his desk. It had only been two days since his surgery and therefore was still being kept in the hospital for post-op. Gibbs wasn't physically harmed but mentally he was beating himself up for allowing the same situation to happen to his team once again and allowing harm to come to his grandchild. Tony hadn't been physically harmed either but the fear that it had caused him rattled his subconscious, he too was having dreams of Isabella dying.

Isabella awoke early that morning, it was her birthday and she was more than excited. It had all started great so far; she hadn't had a nightmare and that night she dreamt of her mother. The dream had made her upset that her mom wouldn't be here to see her turn four years old but then she cheered herself up a bit by remembering that she would get to spend the day with Ziva.

Birthday girl, Isabella, was a bolt of energy. She jumped out of bed dragging all the covers to the floor with her and made her way into her father's bedroom as loudly as she could manage. She had all intentions of waking him up early today because she had the perfect plans on how she wanted to celebrate her morning before going to her party later.

She entered her father's room slowly, peaking her head from the door to inspect her surroundings; she could hear light snores coming from her father, she snickered and tiptoed to his side, poking him profusely as soon as she made it over to his side. "Daddy!" She called out poking him repeatedly until he showed signs of waking. Tony just mumbled and flipped over, ignoring the annoyingly poking he felt. He was too drawn into his sleep to know or care who it was that was poking him. "Daddy!" She whined frustrated, shaking her father profusely. "Daddy!" She called one final time before she was ready to go to extreme measures to wake him up.

Tony didn't even stir, he lay there smirking, the second whine of "daddy" had woken him up but he wasn't ready to get up yet. All he wanted was five more minutes. Isabella jumped on the bed, sat on her father's chest and smothered him with kisses. "Daddy, wake up!" She covered his nose to keep from breathing.

Tony struggled to take a breath and therefore opened his mouth and eyes. When he did Isabella released the hold she had on his nose and smothered him in kisses once again. Tony sat up and positioned Isabella on his lap. "Good morning pumpkin." He kissed her on her cheek and looked at her so seriously. "Why are you up so early?"

"Cause daddy today is my birthday!" Isabella exclaimed excitedly.

"Are you sure?" Tony asked.

Isabella pouted. "Daddy you forgot my birthday?"

Tony took Isabella into a bear hug. "Of course not sweetie. Happy Birthday!" He smothered her in kisses gaining a smile and laughter from her.

Isabella held up four fingers and wore a big grin. "I four daddy. I a big girl." She announced proudly.

"Yes you are and what would the big girl like for breakfast?" Tony asked. He was prepared to make anything for her since it was her special day.

Isabella placed a finger on her chin and pretended to think. She already knew exactly what she wanted she just hoped her dad would agree. "Uh we pick Ziva up and go to Ihop?" she asked hopeful, giving her dad her pretty please eyes she knew he couldn't resist.

Tony laughed. He should have been expecting this. Isabella loved to hang out with Ziva. He wanted to say no they couldn't keep depending on Ziva to always hang out with them. She had her own life and they couldn't keep getting in the way. But it was her birthday and the way she was looking at him in that moment he just couldn't say no. "Yes, would you like to call and invite her?" Tony grabbed his cellphone from the nightstand and hit speed dial 3. Once he heard it start to ring he handed it to Isabella and left to take a shower.

"David?" She answered the phone professionally.

"Ziva?" Isabella asked as she leaned against the bed.

"Isabella?" Ziva asked. Isabella nodded thinking Ziva could see her. "Yom hu'ledet sameach. I hear you are a big girl now." She spoke gently to her. Like a mother would to a child. Ziva had long ago given up on the idea of ever having kids. But now with Isabella she had awoken her maternal instincts and Ziva didn't know how to withhold them. Especially now that Kate died she felt like she needed to protect the child and nurture her.

Once again Isabella nodded. "I four!" Isabella exclaimed.

"Wow, you are such a big girl now. Are you and your daddy going to do anything special for breakfast?"

"Yes, that why I call you. I want to go with you and daddy to Ihop. You come?" Isabella crossed her fingers hoping Ziva would agree to go with them.

Ziva didn't know what to say. She wanted to say yes but as she thought about it she was very reluctant. She couldn't keep at this, intruding on their lives and using Isabella as an excuse so she wouldn't have to spend so much time alone. She hated going home to her empty apartment but she had no other choice. How had Tony not been fed up with her by now? They were spending too much time together lately and although she loved it she hated that they had all become so co-dependent of one another. "Yes of course tateleh. Let me speak with your father please."

Isabella jumped up and down ecstatic that Ziva had agreed to go with them. The squeal that Ziva heard confirmed that she had made the right decision. "Daddy in the shower."

"Have him call me when he gets out yes?" Ziva needed to speak with Tony first to make sure that this was okay with him. Isabella agreed. "Well happy birthday tateleh I will see you later." Ziva sent her a kiss through the phone and then they hung up.

Tony came out of the bathroom, towel wrapped around his midsection, he approached Isabella and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "Did you speak with Ziva?"

She nodded vigorously. "She say yes daddy but that she want to speak with you." She handed Tony back the phone.

Tony took the phone from her and gave her another kiss. "Go pick out your birthday outfit." Isabella ran out of her father's room and Tony immediately called Ziva back. After some convincing Ziva agreed that Tony could pick her up from her apartment and then they would drive to Ihop. Isabella went to get dressed and then they went to pick up Ziva from her apartment.

They arrived to Ziva's apartment shortly after, Tony pulled out his cellphone sent her a text, and five minutes later she was descending the stars that let out of her apartment building. In her hands she carried a really big blue bag with purple and green wrapping paper. Tony also noticed that she was wearing her hair down with her natural curls. Tony didn't know why he found himself thinking about her hair but all he knew was that he loved it that way.

Ziva getting into the passenger side interrupted his thoughts; she placed the gift on her lap and sighed. "Hi," she told Tony.

"Hi, is that gift for me?" Tony told her jokingly.

"Of course not. It is not your birthday today if I recall. Ziva snatched it away from Tony before he was able to peek inside of the bag.

Isabella realizing it was her birthday piped up. "It's my birthday Ziva. Is that present for me?" When she saw Ziva nod a big smile appeared on her face. Ziva handed her the present, "Daddy can I?" She really didn't want to have to wait until after her party to open her presents.

Tony stared at her through the rearview mirror. He really wanted her to wait until after her party to open all gifts. But he could make an exception. He knew that Ziva's present would be something special and so he wanted her to be able to thank her for everything. "Go ahead sweetie."

Once she had gotten her father's permission she ripped through the present sending the wrapping to the back window blocking Tony's vision of the road. She pulled out the first content of the blue bag. It was a Hebrew edition of Le Petite Prince, הנסיך הקטן, she dug through the bag and found an Italian edition, Il Piccolo Principe, the original version, and the Spanish edition, El Principito. She stuck her hand in there once again and found the prince plush. A big smile crept on Isabella and another on Ziva when she noticed how much the little girl liked her present. From the many times that Ziva had put Isabella to bed she had learned that Le Petit Prince was her favorite book and seeing as they were currently working on those four languages she thought it would be a good idea to give them to her. "Do you like your present tateleh?"

"I love it thank you Ziva!" Isabella would have hugged her in that moment but she was constrained in her car seat.

Tony eyed Ziva suspiciously, he wanted to know what it was that Ziva had gotten Isabella. "Pumpkin what did Ziva get you?"

"She got me the little prince stuffed doll and the books in French, Spanish, Hebrew, and Italian. Daddy this is the best!" She grabbed the books and held them to her chest.

Tony chuckled inwardly. That present would certainly be hard to beat. "You know you have set the standard high right? That's going to be a pretty hard present to beat."

"I am just glad she likes it." Ziva smiled looking back at Isabella.

"That was an amazing present. She loves the little prince. Kate used to read it for her ever since she was little. But you well know I can't read any of the books you got her. Which means that you will have to come for bed time sometimes to read them to her."

"Tony for coworkers we already spend an awful lot of time at your apartment. More than we should actually." Ziva admitted. She knew they were friends but she spent way too much time at his apartment, yeah true it was always because of Isabella buy still she didn't find that kind of thing to be normal. If any of the other team members found out they would start to draw conclusions that weren't entirely true.

Tony looked appalled. "I thought we were friends?"

"We will see we will see." Ziva rolled her eyes. They were friends they were best friends but Ziva just liked to mess with Tony.

A few minutes later they had made it to Ihop. Tony quickly got out of the car, opened the passenger door for Ziva, and then opened the back door for Isabella. She immediately jumped out of the car and embraced Ziva into a hug. "Thank you so much Ziva I love my present." But then she frowned. "Daddy can't read those stories to me?"

"How about I promise to come at least once a week to be there to read you your bedtime story?" Ziva asked. She loved to tuck Isabella in at night. She felt like she was embracing in an intimidate moment the little girl didn't allow anyone else but her father to be involved in and she felt honored that she was one of those people Isabella allowed.

"Yeah, I would like that." She hugged Ziva tightly, took her hand and they walked into Ihop.

They went straight to the hostess to ask for a table but they had a twenty-minute wait. As she took down their name she made conversation. "Just here for breakfast?" the young hostess asked. She looked like she was a senior in high school.

Isabella stood on her tiptoes to try to look up at the hostess. "No its my birthday today!"

"It is? Well then we should see what we can do about that." Just then a waiter came by and she whispered something in her ear. "Maddie will seat you now. Happy birthday." The hostess told them and handed the waiter two menus and a child's menu. Then the waitress led them to their table.

A while later, the same waitress came back with their drinks and took their food order. Ziva had stuck with a strawberry crepe, Isabella hard ordered the same, wanting to always be like Ziva and Tony had ordered the avocado omelet. While they waited they made small talk about the party later. About how excited she was and how she wanted to introduce all her friends to Ziva. Shortly after, the waitress came back with their food. To have Isabella feel like a princess both Ziva and Tony both allowed her to have one seat to herself so Tony and Ziva sat across from her on the booth with Ziva sitting in the inside by the window. The waitress didn't want to reach across Tony to place Ziva's food in front of her so she handed Isabella the plate. "Can you hand this to your mommy sweetie?" Both Tony and Ziva stiffened they didn't know how Isabella was going to react to that comment.

They both released the breath they were holding when they noticed Isabella chuckle and hand Ziva her plate. She looked up at the waitress seriously and set her straight. "She's not my mommy she's my Ziva."

The waitress blushed. She should have learned by now to not make assumptions they only got her into trouble. But normally families came here for breakfast and the little girl just looked so much like the woman sitting next to the handsome man. "I'm really sorry I just assumed. I mean she looks at lot like your wife." There she went again making assumptions. Why couldn't she just learn how to keep her mouth shut?

Tony didn't correct the waitress he already felt bad for her as it was but then he somehow didn't feel the need to correct her. He had liked how that had sounded. He immediately shook those thoughts away he couldn't be thinking like that. Ziva and him were just friends, coworkers, he couldn't afford to think like that. He wouldn't allow those thoughts to ruin their friendship. Not only would it devastate him it would devastate Isabella. "She does doesn't she?" Tony decided to agree with her, the woman didn't know that he was talking about his actual wife. Isabella looked so much like, Kate, sometimes he wondered if she had gotten anything from him besides his green eyes.

The waitress content that she hadn't once again put her foot in her mouth left the food, smiled, and left them to their breakfast wishing Isabella happy birthday and leaving her a piece of chocolate cake.

Tony, Ziva, and Isabella arrived an hour before the guest were supposed to arrive. Tony went to speak with the girls that would be taking care of them during the party and got everything situated. Tony took advantage that they still had a while before any guest would arrive and challenged Ziva to a round of laser tag. At first Ziva was reluctant, she didn't want to be seen doing something so childish, something she would usually call geeky. "Please Ziva, you and I against daddy." She wanted to say no she really did. She didn't take part in such childish affairs. But she couldn't resist Isabella's pleas and it was the little girl's birthday after all.

Ziva sighed. "Okay but only if you are on my team as well."

"Yeah!" Isabella jumped up and down.

Now that Ziva had agreed he went to get the gear so they could play. He brought it back and went to the starting line. The buzzer buzzed signaling the start to the round. They each took off running in the opposite directions. Ziva took Isabella's hand and they went to the back. Ziva's training kicked in and she started to strategize, she would not lose to Tony. She would get them to win so that Isabella could celebrate a victory on her birthday. She bent down and whispered to Isabella. "Will you have my six Special agent DiNozzo?" she knew that referring to Isabella, as an agent would make her happy.

Isabella smiled; she loved the idea of being an agent like her daddy, mommy, and Ziva. She nodded towards Ziva. She knew exactly what that expression meant because her daddy used it all the time at work.

Ziva heard footsteps approaching, tugged Isabella on her arm, and guided her around to the other side of the wall they were on. Out of the corner of her eye Ziva saw Tony approaching where it was they had been hiding out. Ziva signaled Isabella to follow her; they walked behind Tony until he felt their presence. He turned around to shoot but Ziva had already moved so that Isabella could make the winning shot. She was fast and shot Tony on the target. As she did a buzzing sound was heard signaling that Isabella had shoot her dad and they had won the first round.

Isabella started to jump up and down. "We won Ziva! We won!" she high fived Ziva, took off her equipment and ran towards her father. "We beat you daddy!" she giggled.

Tony hung his head in shame and went to talk with Ziva. "I want a rematch later. Just you and me." Tony told her.

"You are on but you will still lose Tony." Ziva told him as she took off her equipment and continued walking seeing as Abby had already showed up with Ducky.

Both went over to greet them but then Tony left Ziva to lead them to the table so that he could go greet one of Isabella's friends and their mother. "Isabella," Tony called over so that Isabella could greet her friend.

When Isabella noticed who it was that was talking with her dad she came running over. "Amelia!" she screamed and took her in a hug as soon as she reached her. "I want to introduce you to Ziva." She pulled her best friend by her arm and led her over to Isabella.

"Hi, I'm Isabella's father, Tony DiNozzo." Tony introduced himself and then led the woman to the others. Shortly after, the rest of the guest began to arrive. All the kids that wanted were given equipment to go play. The rest stayed at the tables and made small talk. Ducky, Abby, some of Isabella's friend's parents were there and Jenny. Tony really wished that Gibbs wouldn't show up he was still mad over the incident that had happened. McGee couldn't make it because he was still bound to a hospital bed.

Finally after checking on the kids Tony was able to sit down for a bit. He took a seat next to Ziva and sighed. He was exhausted from trying to keep everyone entertained. Ziva laughed softly, "Cannot keep up like you used to?" Ziva asked.

"One kid is one thing but a handful now that's another story Zee-Vah. I'm sure not even all your training has you prepared to deal with seven four year olds." Tony raised one eyebrow at her. He was challenging her and she knew it.

"Are you trying to trick me into helping you at Isabella's sleepover?" earlier after all her friends arrived Isabella had asked her father if Emilee, Amelia, and Madeleine could sleep over. He had told her yes but now as the party progressed he was starting to regret his decision. He needed help and the only person he thought to ask was Ziva. He knew that if he asked Abby she would be worse than the kids so that left him with Ziva that and he had to admit to himself that he didn't mind her company. He actually enjoyed it.

"Maybe?" Ziva gave him her threatening look. "Okay, yes, I'm begging you will you please help me with this sleep over? I don't think I will be able to handle four four year olds on my own. Please Ziva?" Tony gave her his 100-watt smile. He really needed Ziva to say yes. There was no way that he would be able to do this on his own.

Ziva chuckled she liked making Tony beg. It was always funny watching him steep low to get other people to do what he wanted. "Yes, Tony I will."

All of a sudden Tony tensed, Ziva turned to the entrance and quickly understood why it was that he had changed all of a sudden. "What is he doing here?" Tony spat.

Ziva put a hand on his forearm. "Calm down Tony. Take a deep breath and go talk to him."

Tony did as Ziva instructed him. He took a deep breath and then went over to talk with Gibbs. "What are you doing here?" Tony was straight to the point. He wasn't playing games. He wanted to get to the bottom of this and know what had crossed his boss's mind when he allowed his daughter to be harmed.

"DiNozzo," was all Gibbs managed to say before Tony interrupted him and began yelling.

"No! Listen to me I don't want you here. You don't deserve to be here. How could you? How could you let Aviva cut my daughter's neck? You could have told her something anything just enough to allow me to get her out of that woman's hold. But you just stood there not saying anything watching as she dug the knife into her neck. I will never forgive you for that boss." Tony was about to break down in tears but he wasn't going to give his boss that satisfaction.

Gibbs head slapped Tony and then dragged him outside. He didn't want to do this in front of everyone especially the children. He knew he wasn't welcomed but he didn't want to ruin Isabella's birthday. "I'm going to break one of my own rules and apologize. DiNozzo, I am sorry that I didn't say anything that I let my emotions rule me during this case. It brought all those memories with Kate and Ari. I didn't want to let that woman dictate what I did or did not do like Ari had. I did not want what had happened with Ari to be a repeat this time. I did not want to give myself in to her. I wanted to play her, to get inside her head, I wanted to get information from her. I never believed she would actually harm Isabella. I love that little girl she is my granddaughter and I would never allow any harm to her if I could stop it. "

After hearing what his boss had said Tony calmed down a bit but he was still angry. "Boss you have to understand Isabella is all I have. You of all people should understand me. I only have Isabella left I cant stand to lose her as well."

"DiNozzo, I am truly sorry." Gibbs put a hand on Tony's shoulder.

Tony took a deep breath, put his hand on his boss's shoulder and apologized for his outburst. "Would you like to stay?" Tony asked. This time he was sincere. His boss was like a father to him and it pained him that he would destroy his family like that but now that he understood him he would have done the same if Isabella had not been there.

Gibbs nodded and they headed inside. Tony knew that Isabella would be happy to see her grandpa Gibbs at her party.

Mean while Tony and Gibbs were outside Isabella was in a dispute herself inside. "No Bailey that's not true."

"Yes, Isabella, Derek like me better. Don't you?" Bailey pulled Derek towards her and wrapped her arm around his. Derek just shrugged. "See he is my boyfriend not yours." Bailey spat in Isabella's face.

This made Isabella angry. Derek had told her that he liked her and that he was her boyfriend. But all of a sudden bully bailey came around and claimed Derek as her boyfriend so he had no choice but to go with her even though the one he actually liked was Isabella. But as she was the preschool bully everyone was afraid of her. "Bailey you know that the only reason you want Derek as your boyfriend is cause Bella likes her." Amelia defended her friend.

Derek let go of Bailey's hold and went to Isabella's side. "I don't want to be your boyfriend I want to be Isa's." Derek told bailey.

Bailey pissed that she had once again lost to Isabella pushed her to the floor and then kicked her. Isabella kept crying and screaming trying to get bailey to stop but she just wouldn't stop. Amelia desperate to get bailey to stop kicking her friend went to find Isabella's dad but she couldn't find him and then went to find Ziva remembering that Isabella had introduced her earlier when she had arrived.

Ziva was speaking with Abby when she felt a pat on her arm. "Ziva?"

"Yes, sweetie?" Ziva remembered Isabella very enthusiastically coming over to introduce the two.

"Bailey is beating Isabella. I don't know what to do." The girl was worried about her friend and she didn't know what to do.

"I will be right back Abby." Ziva told Abby and then followed the little girl. Ziva was very protective of Isabella and she wouldn't allow anyone to hurt her. They reached were bailey was messing with Isabella. The girl stopped as soon as she noticed an adult had approached them. "What is going on here?"

"She stole my boyfriend." Bailey cried trying to play the victim. But Ziva wouldn't fall for it she had clearly seen bailey kicking Isabella.

Isabella stood from lying on the ground and quickly ran to Ziva. Ziva picked her up and pulled her closer to her. Isabella placed her head and Ziva's chest and cried. "I didn't Ziva. She stole Derek from me and when he choose me over her she started to beat me up." Isabella continued to sob. Bailey had kicked her in her stitches and they still stung. "She kicked me in my stitches and they hurt Ziva." Ziva put her hand on Isabella's neck, she winced, and ziva looked down the area around her stitches was purple and there was blood.

"We will get you to Ducky soon tateleh. You will be okay." Ziva kissed the top of her head and then turned to the girl. "As for you I will speak with your mother." Ziva cuddled Isabella and took her over to ducky. He needed to check out Isabella's stitches. She was crying from the stinging that was coming from where her stitches had been pulled out. Right now that was her priority the other stuff wasn't hurting as much. "Ducky I need you to look at Isabella's stitches. She is bleeding so I think that they have been ripped. She says it stings and burns."

Ziva tried to place Isabella on the table but the little girl hung on tighter. She didn't want to be put down. She was scared and needed someone to comfort her; more specifically she needed Ziva to comfort her. "Tateleh, I need to put you down so that Ducky can check you." Ziva tried to soothe her. But she wouldn't budge. She just shook her head and didn't let go of Ziva.

"It is quite all right dear. Ziva could you please just hold her with her neck facing me?" Ziva placed Isabella on her right side so that the right side of her neck was facing Ducky. He inspected her neck and looked over to Abby. "Abigail dear could you go to my car and get my bag?"

Abby got up from her spot at the table and headed outside avoiding Gibbs and Tony but they were too caught up in their argument to notice the forensic scientist leaving the building. She ran to Ducky's car to get his bag. She found it in his passenger seat, grabbed it, and ran back to the building. When she made it over to them Isabella's cries broke her heart. She handed him the bag and Ducky quickly opened it up. He took out disinfectant, "this might sting a little. But I heard you are a very strong little girl so I don't think it will be a problem." Isabella nodded and Ducky sprayed the disinfectant on her stitches.

Isabella winced and let out a lonely tear. "It is okay tateleh." Ziva rubbed her back trying to provide some sort of comfort.

Ducky took a cloth, wiped of the blood as gently as possible, the bruising looked much worse and could only imagine it hurt just as much and then placed gauze over her stitches to keep them from ripping further until they were able to get her to the ER. "There her stitches don't look too bad. Just have Anthony take her to the E.R. to get them redone. Also you say she was getting kicked?" Ziva nodded. "Well in that case have them check her for internal bleeding just incase the girl was able to get a good blow." Ducky gave Isabella a kiss on the cheek and a blue lollipop he had in his medical bag.

"Thank you Ducky. I will go tell Tony now. I do not want to risk anything." Just then Tony and Gibbs walked in. Tony noticed Isabella crying into Ziva's shoulder and he quickly panicked. What could possibly be wrong? It was her birthday for crying out loud she deserved to have a drama free day.

Tony tried to take Isabella from Ziva's arms but she wouldn't release Ziva's hold. "What happened?" he asked worried.

"The girls were disputing over boys and then one girl took it took it too far and starting kicking Isabella. She got kicked in the stitches and they ripped. Ducky suggests we take her to the ER to get them redone and also checked for internal bleeding."

Tony angry at what he heard didn't hear anything but she got kicked. "Who was it Tony growled?"

"Tony calm down, take a breath before you do anything rash." Ziva told him. She would gladly give him the name of the girl who hurt Isabella but not in his condition.

Tony took two deep breaths and asked Ziva to tell him the name. "It was the bailey kid." He took off towards the mothers and Ziva followed him tightening her hold on Isabella. "Are you okay?" Isabella nodded but stopped immediately wincing at the pain. Even the slightest movement of her neck hurt. She tried to keep it still but she would just stiffen her whole body and make it worse. Ziva noticed and rubbed her back. "Let us go see what your crazy father is going to do." That released a bit of a chuckle from Isabella and Ziva smiled.

Tony found Amelia, Isabella's best friend, "is Isabella okay Mr. DiNozzo?" she asked.

"She is sweetie. Can you tell me who bailey is?"

Isabella pointed in the general direction of where the entire mother's where. "That her with her mommy."

Tony took off with Ziva trailing behind her. He was so angry. He didn't know what he was going to say or how he would react but all he knew was he wanted that little girl punished. Nobody kicked his little princess and got away with it. "Are you Bailey's mother?" Tony asked angrily.

"Depends." The woman answered in a sassy tone. Tony glared at her. He wasn't amused. He just wanted answers. The woman noticing the man's agitation answered. "Yes I am."

"I want you and your daughter out of here! Now!" Tony screamed. All eyes were on them now. Ziva could literally see the steam coming out of his ears. She placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered to him to calm down. "This is my daughter's party. She deserves a drama free day after the couple of last months we have had. It is her day and I don't need someone coming here and start beating the crap out of her. She ripped her stitches and now I need to take her to the ER." Tony was beyond furious. He just wanted his daughter to have a drama free day but so far it wasn't turning out like that.

The woman smirked. She wasn't afraid of Tony. She was a tai kwan do instructor and could take him down. "Well if your daughter hadn't been so clumsy maybe she wouldn't need stitches."

That was the last straw for Tony. Isabella scared by all the screaming hid deeper into Ziva's chest. Ziva reacted by rubbing her back. "She wasn't being clumsy we were held hostage by a terrorist and things got ugly. So next time think before you speak and sound like a complete ass." With that Tony stormed out of the building.

Ziva followed behind him but stopped by Abby before they going out. "Abby can you take care of everything? I am going to accompany Tony to the E.R. make sure he does not do anything rash."

"Yeah don't worry about it. Just make sure this little one is okay." Abby gave Isabella a kiss on the forehead.

"Thank you Abby." Ziva smiled and walked out.

"Daddy mad at me?" Isabella asked sadly. She was afraid that because of all of this her daddy had gotten mad and it was all her fault.

"No motek he is mad at the girl who did this to you." She reassured the little girl.

They reached the car, Tony was already in the drivers seat, head on the wheel, probably crying the anger out, Ziva placed Isabella in her car seat, she got in the passenger seat and they drove off. Not a single word was spoken on route to the hospital. Once Isabella was admitted and being taken care of Ziva decided it was the best time to talk with Tony. "Tony are you okay?"

Tony sighed and placed his head in his hands. "No, I wanted Isabella to have a nice day. It is her birthday and I wanted her to be able to spend a day where it was all about her. But then Gibbs shows up, we argued, Isabella gets hurt, and her party has to end early with her at the E.R. I couldn't even give her that. What kind of father does that make me?" he kept his head in his hands. He didn't want anyone to see the tears that had escaped his eyes.

"Tony you are the best father Isabella could have. But unfortunately these things happen and you cannot shield her from every bad thing." Ziva placed a hand on his back.

Tony took his head out of his hands and looked up at Ziva. "I wish I could." He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I wish I could."

"Don't we all." She said. She too wished that she could prevent everything that had happened today from happening. "I too wish I could have prevented everything that had happened today. But unfortunately that is not humanely possible."

"I guess you are right." Tony sighed defeated. Although he knew Ziva was right he still wished he could do the impossible.

"I am always right Tony. You should know that by now." Ziva joked. Tony released a chuckle lightening the mood just a bit.

"Special Agent DiNozzo?" a very fine doctor in a white lab coat called.

Tony and Ziva got up from the chair and approached the doctor. "That's me and this is my partner Officer David." Tony pointed at Ziva. "Is everything okay?"

The doctor smiled reassuring both Ziva and Tony. They felt a bit better, that smile reassured them that everything was okay. "She is doing perfect. We did an ultrasound of all of her organs to check for internal bleeding and thankfully there isn't any. We also restitched her stitches and put gauze over it to protect them until it heals. I administered medicine for the pain so she will be a bit drowsy."

"Can we see her?" Ziva asked eager to see Isabella.

The doctor nodded. "Yes of course." He led them to the bed Isabella was sitting on. "I will go get her discharge papers ready." He left them to have some privacy.

Both approached Isabella and embraced her in a hug. "You okay pumpkin?" Tony asked her.

"I okay daddy. Just a bit tired." She rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"Looks like someone will not be going back to her party." Ziva laughed.

"No?" Isabella frowned.

"No I'm sorry pumpkin, you need to rest and we cant risk you ripping your stitches again." Tony said.

Isabella frowned. "But how about we go get some ice cream and then we go to your house, cuddle on the couch, and read one of the little prince books I bought you?" Ziva suggested. The smile returned to Isabella's face.

On the way back to the apartment they stopped by cold stone to get some desert before heading back. When they got to the apartment Tony put Isabella into something more comfortable, she grabbed Le Petit Prince, the original version, the prince plush and climbed into Ziva's lap on the couch. Tony sat next to them and listened as Ziva read the book flawlessly and effortlessly in French. _Lorsque j'avais six ans j'ai vu, une fois, une magnifique image, dans un livre sur la foret vierge qui s'appelait HIstoires vecues. Ca representait un serpent boa qui avalait un fauve. Voila la copie du desin. On disait dans le livre: Les serpents boas avalent leur proi tout entire, sans la macher. Ensuite ils ne peuvent plus bouger et ils dorment pendant les six mois de leur digestion. _Ziva had barely gotten through the first page when she heard soft snores coming from both Isabella and Ziva. Tony although not completely tired had been lulled to sleep by Ziva's voice. Although he loved her accent and the way she messed up American idioms. He had to admit he loved it even more when she spoke in French. Ziva smiled at the two people that had become her family in such a short time. She closed the book, placed it on the table, pulled blankets over them, and closed her eyes.

**I hope you all fangirled smiled over this last paragraph. I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I didn't mean to ruin Isabella's birthday but as much I wanted to see Tony at a sleep over with crazy four years old, I loved this ending so much more. But do not worry I have it planned for another chapter where it will fit perfectly to move Tony and Ziva's relationship along. So I hoped you liked it. Do not forget to review and thanks once again. I love you guys. I really enjoyed receiving your birthday wishes. **

**-Ximena**


	15. A Night Full of Memories

**A/N Sorry it has been almost a week that I have updated. It has been a very busy week. But here is the next chapter.]**

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**

**Previously on Life is a Privilege:**

On the way back to the apartment they stopped by cold stone to get some desert before heading back. When they got to the apartment Tony put Isabella into something more comfortable, she grabbed Le Petit Prince, the original version, the prince plush and climbed into Ziva's lap on the couch. Tony sat next to them and listened as Ziva read the book flawlessy and effortlessly in French. _Lorsque j'avais six ans j'ai vu, une fois, une magnifique image, dans un livre sur la foret vierge qui s'appelait HIstoires vecues. Ca representait un serpent boa qui avalait un fauve. Voila la copie du desin. On disait dans le livre: Les serpents boas avalent leur proi tout entire, sans la macher. Ensuite ils ne peuvent plus bouger et ils dorment pendant les six mois de leur digestion. _Ziva had barely gotten through the first page when she heard soft snores coming from both Isabella and Ziva. Tony although not completely tired had been lulled to sleep by Ziva's voice. Although he loved her accent and the way she messed up American idioms. He had to admit he loved it even more when she spoke in French. Ziva smiled at the tow people that had become her family in such a short time. She closed the book, placed it on the table, pulled blankets over them, and closed her eyes.

**Chapter 15: A Night of Memories**

Tony woke with a throbbing pain in his back. He attempted to stretch it out but was constrained by two objects. Curious, he opened his eyes to find that those two objects were Isabella and Ziva. Isabella was cuddled on her father's chest and Ziva had her arm wrapped around Isabella and she was lying sideways resting her body on Tony's side. He smiled as the memories from last night came flashing back; the trip to the ER, afterwards lying on the couch while Ziva read The Little Prince in her amazing, sexy, French accent.

He moved Isabella and Ziva carefully as to not wake them up, got off the couch slowly, headed to his room, and put on some sweats. Then headed to the kitchen to make some breakfast; something simple, not too complex, he wasn't in the mood to do anything. He heard movement coming from the living room area and a few minutes later he saw a crazy haired four-year-old walk into the kitchen half asleep. Tony chuckled to himself she looked absolutely adorable. She yawned widely and rubbed her eyes trying to wake herself up. "Morning sleepyhead," Tony greeted her. He looked over at the digital numbers displayed on the stove, 10:15. He couldn't believe that Isabella had just woken up but most of all he couldn't believe Ziva was still asleep. From what he knew she woke at five every morning to go running.

"Mornin daddy," she walked over to where he was standing and picked up her arms so that he could lift her up onto the counter. He did as she pleased. "Watcha makin?"

"Some smoothies and blueberry pancakes." Isabella licked her lips and started wiggling her tiny butt. "But that can wait for a minute I have a better idea." Isabella looked at her dad with a wondering look; Tony pulled her off the counter and told her to follow him towards the couch.

Both tiptoed towards the couch quietly. If Tony's plan was going to work they couldn't make any noise. Tony only hoped that Ziva was in deep sleep and her ninja skills weren't activated, he for once wanted to get something past her. Tony walked slower as he approached Ziva, he signaled for Isabella to stay behind him and counted down to one on his fingers. On the count of one they held out their hands, wiggled their fingers, and started to tickle Ziva.

Startled by the tickling Ziva jumped a bit, opened her eyes, and adjusted them to the light. Tony and Isabella continued to tickle Ziva. Isabella was laughing hysterically, Tony didn't know what was so funny but he was glad that his little girl was finally enjoying herself. Especially after the week they'd had.

Ziva now aware of what was happening, maneuvered herself to where she was tickling Isabella. Tony noticed and followed Ziva's lead after sensing that she was not ticklish. _She's an assassin of course she's not ticklish. She can't be. _

"Stop! Ziva! Daddy!" Isabella squealed. "That tickles!" she giggled. She squirmed around on the couch trying to get out of her dad and Ziva's hold. But the more she moved the more they tickled her. All the wiggling on the couch, lead to Isabella falling off of it landing with a loud thump. Both froze, as Isabella just lay on the floor stunned. She didn't know if to cry or laugh, so she settled for both.

Tears fell as she laughed the fright off. She hadn't hurt herself it was more of the fright of falling off the couch. "Are you okay?" Ziva asked worried. Isabella nodded, sat up a bit, and went to sit on Ziva's lap. Ziva ran her fingers through her hair repeatedly, kissed her forehead, and stood with Isabella to sit on the couch.

Tony stood up and headed to the kitchen. "Anyone interested in fruit smoothies and blueberry pancakes?" Both jumped off the couch and headed towards the kitchen. Tony chuckled, "that's what I thought."

For the next hour they all weaved through the kitchen making pancakes and smoothies. Once they finished they sat down at the table and enjoyed their hard work. After, Isabella suggested they all watched a movie since none were in the mood to do anything but relax. Tony went up to the movie stand to pick a movie. In his search he found something that caught his attention, a home movie. He smiled bitter sweetly and put it in. "What are we going to watch daddy?" Isabella asked.

"You'll see," Tony told them. He pressed play and headed back to the couch to sit next to Ziva, who had Isabella on her lap.

Isabella smiled widely when she saw what was on the screen. "Mommy!" she exclaimed.

_Tony was very smitten with his daughter Isabella. So, Tony took it upon himself to record almost everything he could of Isabella's life. During breakfast Tony wanted to record all the mess that Isabella was making of herself. She was now almost ten months old and a big troublemaker. _

_This morning for breakfast Kate gave Isabella some cut up mango, grapes, and banana. She had started off eating the fruit first but then found the fun in mushing the fruit and putting it all over her body. "Aww lovebug, what are you doing?" Kate looked horrified. She had just bathe Isabella and now she was going to need to bathe her once again. Tony made matters worse by laughing at Isabella's actions. She continued to do it getting the fruit all over her hair and face. _

"_You look so silly" Tony told Isabella as he continued to film everything Isabella was doing. Isabella giggled, pounded her fist on her high chair tray, getting food all over the floor._

"_Tony, stop encouraging her." Kate stared intently at Tony. She hated always looking like the bad parent and Tony being the fun parent. Tony set the camera down thinking that he had turned it off, but in all reality it was still recording, he took the seat next to Kate giving her a kiss on her shoulder. _

_Kate turned towards Tony to return the kiss but when she was about to kiss him she heard Isabella babble "ma ma." Kate pulled from Tony and looked at him._

"_Did she just say?" Kate asked Tony. She was stunned by what she had heard but she didn't know if she was hearing things or not. _

_To answer Kate's question Isabella repeated what she had just momentarily said "mama." _

_Kate had tears in her eyes, she was so overwhelmed, and she couldn't believe that Isabella's first word had been 'mama'. "Yeah sweetie I'm your mama." Kate turned to Tony and looked at him with such love in her eyes, tears were threatening to spill from happiness. "She said mama, Tony, she said it." The tears were now spilling and she didn't care. She was so overwhelmed. She couldn't believe she had heard her daughter say mama, call her mama. Kate leaned in to kiss Isabella but she had other plans. _

_Isabella stuck her hands out which were full of mango and put them on the side of her mother's head getting fruit all in her beautiful hair. "Mama," Isabella said enthusiastically thinking that what she was doing was a game. _

"_You're a DiNozzo alright." Kate smiled. "But I will forgive you this time because you said mama." Kate chuckled. She couldn't believe it. She was glad that it was mama and not dada first. _

"_Mama!" Isabella exclaimed once again. She stretched out her arms and jumped up and down on her high chair. She wanted out and onto her mother's lap. _

_Kate laughed at her daughter's appearance, she was covered from head to toe in her breakfast, but picked her up from the high chair and placed her on her lap. She took off Isabella's pjs and wiped her down the best she could, leaving an exposed Isabella in only a diaper. "What you need is a bath."_

_Tony nodded but then he became serious he was a bit jealous that all Isabella was saying was mama. He wanted her to say dada too or Kate wouldn't let him live it down. "Isabella can you say dada?" Tony asked her with such hope that Tony only wished she would say dada as well._

"_Mama!" Isabella exclaimed. _

"_No, dada." Tony pointed at himself and repeated the word once again slowly. _

"_Mama!" Isabella exclaimed again pointed at her mother. Tony sighed giving up with getting Isabella to say dada._

_Tony sat back down in the chair next to Kate a bit frustrated and jealous. Kate patted Tony's shoulder sympathetically. "Don't worry Tony she will say dada in no time." _

_Just then Isabella pointed towards Tony and exclaimed "Dada!" Tony's eyes lit up and his heart swelled, "dada!" Isabella repeated. _

"_Kate she said it she said it!" Tony was so excited. He couldn't believe he was a father and now she was calling him dada. Tony couldn't believe it. It was the best feeling in the world. _

There was static, then black and white fuzz and the screen went blue. Tony turned to look to his left wiping away a tear before they could notice. All the emotions he was feeling where too many, maybe he had been wrong to watch this. Seeing Kate, a small Isabella, and the moment when she called him dad were just all too much.

He looked to his left to see how Isabella was holding up. She too had tears in her eyes and was curled up to Ziva seeking her warmth. She holds out her hand and pulls her daddy towards her to where he is now literally touching with Ziva. He smiles apologetically to her and she returns the smile. Honestly even though at first it had been awkward she was enjoying her Sunday.

Thinking the video was over Tony grabbed the dvd remote to turn it off just as he was going to push the stop button Isabella yelled, "no daddy!" he looked up and noticed that another video had started. As much as he wanted to quit watching he would continue to watch if it was Isabella wanted.

_September tenth, their baby girl was turning one year old, they had had her for 365 days now and they had loved every minute of it. Of course there were days where they wanted to pull their hair out but over all they enjoyed their time with their daughter and wouldn't change any of it. Their lives had changed for the better and now they couldn't imagine their life without Isabella in it. _

_Both Kate and Tony wanted to make Isabella's first birthday the best one ever even though they knew that she would never remember it. They had invited the whole team, their family. Kate had called her parents and they had agreed to come._

_Everyone was gathered around Kate and Tony's dining room table. Isabella was at the head of the table in her hair chair. Tony was recording everything as Kate came out of the Kitchen with a little mermaid themed cake with a big color one candle singing happy birthday. Everyone else joined in shortly after and Isabella giggled as she heard everyone sing. Kate brought the cake over and placed it in front of Isabella where she knew she couldn't get it. When she saw the cake she immediately said "Iel ake!" Ariel was her favorite character currently and couldn't get enough of her. _

_Kate set the cake down and gave her daughter a kiss on her head. "Happy birthday lovebug." She pulled her daughter out of her high chair and carried her on her hip so that she could blow out the candles. "Time to blow out your candles." Kate demonstrated how to blow out the candles and an excited Isabella followed barely managing to blow out her candle. Grandpa Gibbs had to help her out. Excited that she had blown out her candle, Isabella clapped and exclaimed "Bella blo!"_

_Kate put her hand on Isabella's cheek, pulled her towards her, and gave her a long lasting kiss on the cheek. "Happy birthday sweetie!" she sighed and a loan tear escaped her. Tony came up behind them. "I can't believe she's already one Tony. She's growing up too fast." _

_Tony leaned down to kiss Isabella on top of her head. "I know. I remember the first week we had her. I was scared out of my mind. She was so tiny and I was afraid that I was going to break her." They both laughed at the memory. _

_Meanwhile Gibbs was taking off the candle and was about to cut the cake when Tony stopped him. "Wait boss we need to do the traditional biting of the cake."_

_Kate glared at Tony. "Tony she is one, pushing her into the cake is going to scare her." She reproached him. _

_Tony smiled. "I know that Katie." He stuck his finger in the cake, put some on Isabella's nose and then some on Kate's as well._

"_Tony!" Kate exclaimed. Kate grabbed cake and smeared it on Tony's face getting him back for what he had done to them. _

"_Kate!" Tony said in the same way Kate had called. Kate kissed Tony on the lips to shut him up and it had done the trip. He tried to keep the kiss going but Kate aware that there was a room full of witnesses she kept it short. _

_Abby overexcited to see all three of them covered in cake and interact as a family wanted to snap a photo of them. "Get together so I can take a photo." Knowing that they had no say in the matter, they did as Abby pleased. "Cheese," she warned them to smile. They smiled, Tony wrapped his arms around his girl, and Isabella clapped her hands excited from all the attention that she was getting. _

Once again the screen went blue as it loaded for the next video to appear. But it never did. Tony glanced over to check to see how Isabella was doing, she was fast asleep cuddled between him and Ziva. He had given her some pain medication for the pain of her stitches and that had made her drowsy. Tony grabbed the remote to turn the videos off now that Isabella had fallen asleep. But before he was able to hit the stop button Ziva placed a hand on his forearm. "Leave it Tony. It is nice to see Isabella when she was younger."

"The video is over but I can show you the picture Abby took of us that day." Tony told her as he turned the dvd and TV off, walked to the bookcase to get the photo album, and walked back to the couch. He flipped to the picture from the birthday party and smiled. "By the end all three of us were covered in cake." He chuckled.

"Isabella looks absolutely adorable." Tony smiled as he glanced over to Isabella. As Ziva continued to look at the pictures he leaned over and went to pick up Isabella to put her in her room. "She is fine there Tony do not move her if there is no need." Ziva ran a hand through Isabella's hair and glanced down.

"I can take her to her room no problem. I just feel like you've already done so much and I feel like I've given you a burden of taking care of Isabella. She looks up to you, always ask about you, and always want to hang out with you. She's grown really close to you and it scares me because I don't want you to feel obligated to hang out with us."

"Tony, Isabella is not a burden to me and I do not feel an obligation to hang out with the both of you. It is by my own free will that I do. I love Isabella and I will do anything for her. So if she feels comfortable her lying on me. By all means I will let her." Ziva looked down at Isabella and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

Tony smiled; she was so good with his daughter. When she first came here she was a cold, hard, assassin and he never believed he would see the day where she would start to become more human, more feminine, more woman. He didn't mind it though. He loved the change he was seeing in her. He knew that one-day when the time was right she would make a wonderful mother. "You're going to make a wonderful mother, Ziva."

"Thank you Tony. But I do not think that any child deserves me as their mother." Ziva kept her eyes on Isabella the entire time. With these types of conversations Ziva couldn't handle looking at Tony.

"Don't sell yourself short. Isabella loves you so much. You are in her three favorites." At that, Ziva looked up at Tony and smiled. "Its true, she told me. Why do you think I always call you to watch her when I have plans?"

"I do not know honestly. Abby would make a better babysitter than I.," she said frowning. She didn't understand why Tony preferred her to Abby. Abby was more capable for these types of things.

"Ziva you are more than capable. But it's also because I trust you, you are my friend, and because Isabella will not go with anyone other than you or me. She idolizes you and thanks to you she was able to get through her mother's death. You were there for her when I couldn't be."

"I do not think I have that much effect on her." Ziva didn't think that Isabella could love her so much. Nobody deserved her love.

"Are you kidding? It's always daddy can we invite Ziva, or daddy when are we seeing Ziva, or daddy Ziva taught me this. So the next time you ever doubt yourself or someone doubts you just think of all you've gained with Isabella and that will remind you of who've you've become since you've come to America. I don't want you ever doubting yourself as a person Ziva because who you are is an amazing woman not only capable physically but capable of so many other things." Tony smiled. He meant what he said. He didn't like when she doubted herself and saw herself as only a coldhearted assassin because she wasn't, she was much more than that.

Ziva finally looked in his eyes and saw pure sincerity. He had meant everything he had told her and it made her heart flutter. No one had ever seen her as anything other than a deadly weapon. For the first time in years someone saw her as a woman, friend, and especially a human being not just a personal deadly weapon. "Thank you Tony." Ziva took the photo album, flipped the page, pointed and smiled at the picture she was staring at. "What is this about?"

Tony smiled as well. His daughter looked absolutely adorable in her first Halloween costume but him and Kate just look ridiculous with the hats his mother in law made them wear. "That was Isabella's first Halloween."

_Halloween, the day where everyone from newborns to senior citizens can dress up and not look foolish, the day where kids are allowed to knock on strangers door, and take candy from them. The day where parents forget about crime and contradict the things they have thought their kids on safety. _

_Tony normally despised Halloween, he normally spent that night working, with his buddies, or at home drinking and watching a movie. But since he had met Kate that had all changed. If they had to work they would but if they didn't, of course two grown adults wouldn't go trick or treating but they'd celebrate together. Now that they had a child Kate wanted to take her trick or treating for the first time. _

_Isabella was two months old, Tony had argued with Kate that she was way too young to take trick or treating, but she had argued back that she didn't care. She wanted to dress her daughter up and take her trick or treating even if she didn't know what was going on. Tony caved and allowed Kate to do what she wanted. _

_Kate's parents had come to visit their grandchild and brought Elisabeth, Kate's oldest brother's five-year-old daughter, she also had made a crochet costume for Isabella. Elisabeth dressed in a typical princess costume while Isabella was in a crotched caterpillar costume. She wore a purple hat that had big bug blue eyes, a pink nose, and big antennas. Her body was covered in a pink crotched blanket. She was an absolutely beautiful, adorable, two month old baby. Both Kate and Tony wore a similar hat; they were now the bug family for Halloween. Kate's mother, Kate, Tony, Isabella, and Elisabeth headed down the streets of Virginia to go trick or treating. Their first stop of course would be Gibbs's house. _

_Knowing that Gibbs didn't hand out candy and his door was never locked they walked in and headed down to the basement. Tony knocked on the basement door, as he and Kate with Isabella's arms walked down the basement stairs. "Trick or treat," Tony called out to his boss._

_They approached their boss both were eager to show off their daughter to their team. Tony held out Isabella's candy bag in front of Gibbs. "Trick or treat," Tony said again. _

_Kate smirked and Gibbs head slapped Tony. "Grow up DiNozzo. You look ridiculous in that hat." But there was a smile as he said that. He was envious of DiNozzo; he might of looked ridiculous but he had a wonderful family to embrace those crazy things with. Gibbs took Isabella out of Kate's arms and cradled her gently and carefully. "She makes the cutest caterpillar ever." Gibbs said as he walked with her over to his workstation. He called DiNozzo and Kate over. He pointed to a rocking horse that he had been working on for the last month. "I made this for the little munchkin." _

"_Gibbs it's amazing. Thank you." She smiled. She loved that Gibbs always made things for their daughter. _

"_Yeah thanks boss. We really appreciate you taking the time to make this for her." Tony told his boss. _

"_Well you guys should probably get going. I can only imagine Abby is waiting for you." Gibbs smiled slightly. He knew Abby loved Halloween and couldn't wait to go trick or treating. He kissed Isabella on the forehead and then handed her back to her mother. _

_They headed to Abby's apartment where they knew McGee and Abby were there waiting for them to go trick or treating. Tony felt like Abby was more excited about it than most of the children. They reached Abby's apartment and when she saw Isabella she got a little too excited. "Oh my god! She is the most adorable thing ever!" Abby squealed jumping up and down._

"_Abby," Kate called out holding Abby with one arm to try and settle her down. "Lower your voice Isabella is asleep and if we wake her she will be cranky. Then we will not be able to go trick or treating." It had only been two months since Isabella was born and Kate was adjusting well. It seemed like she was meant to be a mother._

"_Sorry," Abby apologized and allow them all in. She held out her arms, she wanted to hold Isabella; she couldn't resist such an adorable baby. Kate handed her over to Abby. But Abby was able to hold her for a couple of minutes before she started to fuss. She wanted to be back safe in her mother's arms. Abby handed her back to Kate, she took her and rocked her gently, soothing her back and humming softly. Almost immediately Isabella settled and Abby smiled. "Wow, Kate that's impressive. I guess she just wants her mom."_

_Tony smiled and boasted proudly. "She's a mommy and daddy's girl."_

All night Abby would take Isabella every fifth house and take her up to trick or treat. The others she would go up with Elisabeth. I swear she was more excited than Elisabeth to be trick or treating." Tony laughed a bit.

"I do not doubt it." Ziva agreed.

Tony took Isabella to her bed and when he came back he found Ziva flipping through the photo album. Smiling at all of the pictures of Isabella, seeing all of them just increased her longing of becoming a mother one day. But she knew that she would never condemn a child to everything it would have to live through with her as a their mother.

The rest of the night was spent with Tony and Ziva going through the photo albums with Tony telling Ziva about the background story of the photo. For the first time in a while Tony found it was now a lot easier to talk about Kate without feeling the need to break down and cry. It still hurt and he still felt a tug on his heart but he no longer wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. He quite enjoyed remembering all of their happy times. Of course some were hard especially the first week they had brought Isabella home.

Tony knew that they needed their rest especially since they had work in the morning. But he was enjoying his time. He couldn't imagine spending his time any other way. He was happy. He liked spending time with Ziva. She was an amazing friend and he was glad that he was able to share these memories with her.

**So this was mostly a Tate chapter for all your tate fans. I hoped you liked it as much as I enjoyed writing. Please don't forget to review! Tell me what you thought, where I can improve, what you'd like to see in future chapters. I also will be posting a one shot either later tonight or tomorrow. It's a crossover of NCIS and Grey's anatomy so yeah you should check that out too. Love you guys have a great weekend. **


	16. Apartment Renovations

**Previously on Love is a Privilege:**

The rest of the night was spent with Tony and Ziva going through the photo albums with Tony telling Ziva about the background story of the photo. For the first time in a while Tony found it was now a lot easier to talk about Kate without feeling the need to break down and cry. It still hurt and he still felt a tug on his heart but he no longer wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. He quite enjoyed remembering all of their happy times. Of course some were hard especially the first week they had brought Isabella home.

Tony knew that they needed their rest especially since they had work in the morning. But he was enjoying his time. He couldn't imagine spending his time any other way. He was happy. He liked spending time with Ziva. She was an amazing friend and he was glad that he was able to share these memories with her.

**Chapter 16: Apartment renovations**

Tony DiNozzo stood in the elevator waiting for the little circle that contained his floor number to light up. He was already thirty minutes late, and the elevator was not helping his situation, he knew that once he made his presence known in the squad room Ziva would laugh and ask what it was Isabella had done this time, McGee would make a snarky comment, and Gibbs would either yell at him or head slap him. He didn't know which one was worse. Tony was prepared, he had his story straight, and had a witty comeback for McGee dare he say something to him, but everything was off this morning, the only person in the squad room was McGee. "Hey, McGee where's the boss and Ziva?"

McGee was rushing trying to find answers on his computer. He had been the only agent there, on time, yet he was stuck imputing cold case files into the NCIS system. He didn't see how that was fair. "Gibbs is in MTAC with director Vance and Ziva," McGee stopped, put the file he was working on down, and looked up at Tony with a confused expression. "Now that I think of it I have no clue where Ziva is. It's very unlike her to be late."

Tony headed to his desk, slung his back off, turned his computer monitor, the old thing roaring to life, and pulled out his cellphone as he got comfortable in his chair. He hit speed dial three, still refusing to remove Kate as number one, and opened up his email as the phone started to ring. The phone went straight to voicemail, "Ziva, call me back when you get this. I just want to make sure you are okay." Tony left the voicemail. He was starting to get a bit worried. Ziva was never late and always answered her phone. Now things were opposite she was late and wasn't answering her phone. _What is going on_ Tony wondered.

McGee kept typing trying to finish up with these cold case files; he turned slightly to DiNozzo "No answer?" He asked seriously and continued to type in the information he needed.

"No McGeek I just like telling Ziva to call me back once she's answered. Whatda think McSmarty pants?" Tony answered sarcastically. He didn't mean to be so mean to McGee but when things got serious he always told jokes. It was the only way he was able to hid his true feelings. Only Ziva and Kate could tell what he was truly feeling.

McGee rolled his eyes he was agitated with Tony's comment, the cold cases and the fact that he was on time and Tony was late. "Whatever DiNozzo, here take these and help me." McGee grabbed four cold cases files and threw them at Tony's desk.

Tony grabbed the files in between his hands before the paper splattered all over the floor. "What is this exactly?" Tony opened one of the files and noticed that they were cold cases. He knew what that meant and sighed. He had only asked McGee in hopes that his answer would be entirely different to what he was thinking.

"Input them into the NCIS cold case database." McGee answered him and went back to working on his file.

Tony groaned but started on the work. He thought he owed McGee that much for being late and messing with him. But inputting those files was taking him longer than usual because he wasn't able to concentrate, he was distracted, he had to keep retyping the information because he would type the wrong thing. He couldn't keep his mind off of Ziva and wondering if she was okay. Tony picked up his desk phone and dialed Ziva's cell number. No answer once again, the phone went straight to voicemail. He hung up his phone, sighed, "Where are you?" Tony whispered and went back to inputting the cases.

Gibbs walked out of MTAC coffee in hand, he flew down the stairs, went to his desk, grabbed his badge and gun. "Gear up, dead body found DC USA- shopping in Columbia heights." Tony and McGee were gearing up as Gibbs passed Ziva's desk and froze. "Where's Ziva?"

Both Tony and McGee shrugged. But it was Tony that spoke up. "Don't know boss unlike her to be late. Called her twice both times it went straight to voicemail." Tony informed Gibbs. But he didn't say anything just walked off to the elevator.

Tony and McGee ran after him. They were all going to go in when a wild haired Israeli stumbled out of the elevator. "I am here." She yelled as she stumbled into Gibbs.

"Good let's go." Gibbs responded walking back into the elevator as he glanced at Ziva's appearance. She looked like she had just jumped out of bed, thrown on some clothes, and drove to the office. But he didn't have time to yell at her as to why she was late because they had more pressing matters at the moment.

Ziva composed herself, followed her team into the elevator, and went to the back to stand by Tony. He wished that Gibbs and McGee weren't in the elevator with them. He wanted to ask Ziva if she was okay, why was she late but he couldn't not with everyone in the elevator and headed towards a crime scene. He would have to wait until they were able to get a moment alone.

The crime scene was fairly an unusual one for them. The body of a dead petty officer was found inside of a water fountain in a shopping mall. While they dragged in their equipment Tony stayed back with Ziva so that he could ask her what he needed to. He was concerned about her but he was also curious. He didn't know which part of him wanted to know more. "Where were you this morning you were more than two hours late?"

"Are you asking sincerely or are you just going to mock me? Because I am in no mood for your childish remarks." She snapped at him. After the morning she had she wasn't in the mood to deal with people and going straight to the crime scene without her morning tea was not helping matters.

Tony grabbed her arm, stopped her from walking off, and turned her so that she was facing him. "Sincerely, did you not get my voicemail? I was genuinely worried."

Ziva sighed she didn't mean to be snappy but she was having a horrible morning. "I am sorry Tony. I have just not had the best morning. I woke up to no electricity in my apartment, then my phone was turned off because there was no power, so I couldn't call my landlord and then I tried to shower but there was no water. So I went to my neighbors and they had the same issue. Apparently they have shut off the power because they are updating all the electrical wiring in our building and the water was because a pipes burst so they had to shut it off. Now I do not have a place to stay and Gibbs is probably pissed at me." Ziva took a deep breath to try and calm herself. "They said it will take at the minimum two weeks to get the electricity back."

"Ziva don't be silly you can stay at my place for as long as you need. You don't need to worry about where you are going to stay. As for Gibbs don't worry about it I'll handle it. Just try to relax." Tony didn't like seeing Ziva all rattled up. He was glad that he had offered for her to stay at his place. his only hope was that she would agree to it.

"Thank you Tony for your offer but I cannot possibly put you in that inconvenience. I would not like to take advantage of our friendship." As much as Ziva wanted to agree she just could not. She didn't want to ruin their friendship by living at his apartment for a couple of weeks.

"Ziva don't be silly its not any inconvenience. I know Isabella will be excited to have you with us. I will not take no for an answer. So, you better just agree before I annoy you for the rest of the day."

"Thank you Tony that is very kind of you." Ziva smiled and let out a breath. Her stressful day was starting to turn around.

"Then it's settled." He too smiled and they ran to join the others before their boss came over and yelled at them.

They both reached the crime scene without anyone wondering where they had gone off too. It was blocked off by yellow police tape and also by the large crowd of people that had gathered. Tony and Ziva had trouble weaving through the people to gain access to where their team was. They had to flash their badge to the local officers and then were allowed to join their team. Unfortunately that drew attention that Tony and Ziva had barely had joined them and had still not done work. So as soon as Gibbs saw them he barked at Ziva to take pictures and for Tony to look around and see if he could find any evidence.

Ziva went straight to taking pictures so that Ducky could remove the body from the fountain. Tony went to look for evidence but had not found much, only the victim's wallet and his cellphone. He bagged and tagged them and then went back to join Ducky, Gibbs, and Ziva. McGee was interviewing mall shoppers but to no avail, no one had seen anything out of the ordinary. Which to McGee seemed ridiculous but then again who was he to judge people's lack to paying attention.

Once Gibbs was through with Ducky, he ordered him and Palmer to take the body back to the truck, he sent his team back to NCIS to run background information on the petty officer. But as they were headed out with the evidence and equipment the petty officer's phone started to ring. All three agents just stood there looking between one another. "What do we do boss?" McGee asked as he helped up the evidence bag that held the cellphone.

"We answer it McGee." Gibbs snatched the evidence bag from McGee's hands, took out the phone and answered it.

"Michael, where the hell are you? I've been waiting for more than two hours. You're lucky the doctor has decided to reschedule our appointment. Just wait when you get home." Some woman screamed into the phone. As soon as the screaming had started Gibbs pulled the phone away from his ear. "What was more important Michael?" The woman continued to scream. The rest of the team could hear the woman's voice.

Now that the woman had stopped screaming Gibbs spoke. "This is special agent Gibbs. I assume this is Petty officer Petican's wife?"

"Oh my god did something happen? Is James okay?" The woman said in hysterics. She was on the verge of tears, they were supposed to be celebrating that they were going to see their baby for the first time but instead her husband was in some type of trouble.

"Mrs. Petican I need you to meet me at NCIS as soon as possible." Gibbs didn't wait for a reply, he couldn't bear to speak with emotional woman, so instead he relayed his information and slammed the phone ending the call. All three of Gibbs's agents were staring intently at him waiting for him to relay any source of information. "I want all of you to head back, McGee start on a full background check, David and DiNozzo I want you to question Mrs. Petican when she arrives to NCIS."

"Yes boss," all three agents answered and hurried to leave the crime scene.

Back at NCIS McGee went straight to his computer to start on their petty officer's background information, Tony and Ziva had been informed that an Elizabeth Petican had arrived and needed to speak with an agent. They escorted her up to the squad room, left their belongings behind their desk and headed to the conference room.

Both agents had spent close to two hours in the conference room with the petty officer's wife questioning her about their relationship, about his job, if he had been acting suspicious lately, and her alibi. They had not found out anything useful except that at the time of the murder Mrs. Petican had been with her OB waiting for Petty officer Petican to show up. Apparently they had just found out they were expecting and the excited father to be had gone to the mall to buy his wife a surprise.

McGee hadn't found anything suspicious in the their victim's history or bank statements, but he had found that the Petty officer had been in contact with a certain number constantly and it had also been the last number that was dialed right before the victim had been shot. Gibbs sent Ziva and Tony to question their current suspect, Emma Walters.

The car ride to the suspect's home was quiet which was highly unusual for the pair. They always had something to say even if it was fighting or some snarky remark about the other. But this time neither had something to say and Tony was starting to feel rather uncomfortable with the awkward silence that lingered the car. He spoke the first thing that came in to mind in hopes that would stir up a conversation. "Since you will be staying at my place do you want to carpool? We can leave your car in the NCIS long term parking lot." Tony said a bit quickly trying to get the question out before he had a chance to chicken out of the question.

"Uh, sure. I think that will be the most logical thing to do." Ziva looked out the window she didn't want Tony to see her blushing. She didn't know why but just thinking about staying at Tony's and riding with him brought butterflies to her stomach.

They reached the suspects house shortly after getting out of the car and going straight to the door. Thankfully she was home unlike eighty percent of their suspects who either turned up dead or missing. Once she opened the door, they flushed their badges, and announced who they were. She let them in, showed them to the living room, and offered them a drink.

They refused and got straight to questioning her. All they knew, she was a suspect until it was proven otherwise. Tony pulled out the picture of their dead petty officer and held it out so Emma Walters could see. "Do you know this man?" Tony asked.

"James, is he alright?" Emma began to get worried their would only be two reasons why navy cops would be at her home asking her questions one if he was in trouble or two if he was dead. She really hoped it wasn't the latter. She wouldn't be able to handle it if he was.

"How do you know him?" Tony asked ignoring the question she had asked.

"He's my brother." Tony and Ziva were taken aback they were not expecting this especially after McGee had informed him that the petty officer didn't have any siblings.

"He's background didn't say anything about him having siblings." Tony told her putting the picture away.

"He's my stepbrother that's why we don't have the same last name. But we've lived together since I was three so he's like my real brother. Is he okay?" The two agents had still not answered her question and she was staring to worry.

Tony and Ziva sighed telling a family member they're one of a their family members was dead. "Unfortunately he is dead." Ziva answered with as much sympathy as she could mutter.

"But just this morning he called to tell me how excited he was about expecting their second child and wondered what he should buy Elizabeth, his wife." She let out a breath. Tony and Ziva gave each other a look as saying well crap she has an alibi. "Poor Elizabeth she must be devastated. James wasn't only her husband; he was her best friend, coworker, and partner. They meet at work actually, they hated one another but then all that time together it made them realize that they were meant for one another. I'm pretty sure you to can relate." She said pointing to the two of them.

"Oh we aren't together." Tony answered awkwardly and both subconsciously scooted themselves over leaving a bigger gap between them.

Tony's phone rang saving them all from an awkward silence and conversation Tony and Ziva didn't want to have with a stranger. "DiNozzo," Tony answered his phone.

"Yeah boss, on our way boss." Tony hung up and stood, handing Emma a card. "Thank you for your time if you think of anything else that might help us solve our case anything at all give me a call."

Emma took the card and nodded. Ziva taking the hint that they were leaving stood, shook the woman's hand and followed Tony out of the house.

Once inside the car Ziva asked Tony what the call had been about. She knew it had been from Gibbs but it had to be important if they had to leave in the middle of questioning a suspect. "What did Gibbs say?" Tony noticed that once inside the vehicle all the blood had left his face, he was pale, and looked really worried.

Tony swallowed the lump feeling he had in his throat. "Gibbs said that shortly after we left petty officer Petican's wife called him and told him that her five year old daughter was taken from her preschool. He wants us back at NCIS to start the search for the little girl." Tony took his eyes off the rode to look at Ziva for a moment. "Ziva I can't stop thinking about Isabella. That could be her; it was almost her a few weeks ago. I couldn't even know how to handle myself."

Ziva put her hand on his thigh and stared at Tony intently. "We will find that little girl. You know Gibbs will not stop until he finds her and she is safe in her mother's arms. As for Isabella you know we will all do everything in our power to make sure that she is always safe from harm."

Tony put his hand on top of hers and wrapped his fingers around it. "Thank you. But I still can't help to think about Isabella when I think of the little girl who is god knows where probably scared for her life." Ziva nodded. She knew how he felt, she couldn't stop thinking about Isabella herself. She wasn't her daughter so she couldn't imagine how much worse Tony must have been feeling.

They reached NCIS, informed their boss of their discoveries and immediately got to work on finding any means possible to find the missing child. That was their top priority, they all knew where Gibbs was coming especially Tony. But the entire time he couldn't stop thinking about Isabella wondering if she was okay, if she was still at preschool safe, and if she would stay safe.

In a moment that everyone had left the squad room except for Ziva Tony caught Ziva making a phone call to Isabella's preschool to make sure that she was okay. He smiled and it tugged at his heart how much Ziva seemed to care for his daughter. She too was being affected by this case and seeming to think about Isabella constantly so much so that she had called the preschool to check up on Isabella and make sure that she was okay. He made his presence known once she had ended the call not wanting to let on that he had heard the conversation. "Personal call David?" Tony asked smiling.

"Uh yeah I was just," She stuttered she couldn't come up with a perfect excuse. She didn't want Tony knowing that she was calling Isabella's school to make sure she was okay because the case was starting to affect her.

"You were just calling to check up on Isabella." He smiled as she blushed. Embarrassed she nodded. "How is she?"

Ziva chuckled that she had been caught and in relief that he hadn't made fun of her instead just casually past it off as if it was normal for her to occasionally call the preschool and check up on her child. "She is fine the secretary says she went to check on her and she is playing contently with Derek and Amelia." Ziva smiled as she thought about the little girl laughing as she played with her friends. "I am sorry I just wanted to make sure she was okay. I cannot help but think what you had said earlier."

Tony shook it off. "It's fine I was about to call the school actually and do the same. You just saved me a phone call."

All afternoon the team was hard at work searching for anything that would get them closer to finding the murderer, the kidnapper, if they were even the same person or two different ones. But they were coming up short. All there leads were getting them nowhere. They didn't have a single suspect and everything was coming up short. Everyone was getting frustrated and annoyed especially Gibbs he hated losing children. He needed to find her he had to find her.

It was getting late and they weren't getting anywhere. There was no use keeping his team especially Tony, he knew how he must be feeling. As much as he tried he knew he couldn't help but think of Isabella and so he wanted to send him home to be with his daughter. "All of you out of her." Gibbs yelled at his team. He walked to Ziva's desk. "You and I need to talk." He told Ziva. She nodded, dropped her gear, and followed him to behind the stairs.

McGee headed out but Tony packed up his things and waited for Ziva to finish speaking with Gibbs. Tony called his daughter's daycare and informed them that he would be there shortly. He felt bad for being so late, Isabella was the only one left and the teachers were ready to go home.

A few moments later Gibbs and Ziva walked back into the squad room both looked pissed. So, Tony just stood, grabbed his stuff and went to stand by Ziva's desk so they could leave. "DiNozzo did I not order you to go home? Are you that nosy that you had to stay around and listen to our conversation?" Gibbs screamed. Tony didn't respond because he knew if he did he would blow up in his boss's face like he had done at Isabella's party. Instead he just stood there and waited for Ziva to gather his things. He only hoped that she would do it quickly. "Did I stutter DiNozzo? Why are you still here?"

That was it Tony wasn't going to hold in. His boss wanted an answer he was going to give it to him. "I'm here because I'm Ziva's ride. Not that it's any of your information but as you are probably already aware she is having problems with her apartment so she will be staying at my apartment. That is why I'm still here." Ziva gathered her last thing and ushered Tony out of the squad room. They got in the elevator, leaving a flabbergasted Gibbs, and Ziva let out a few tears.

Tony sped to pick up Isabella wanting to hug her and make sure for himself that she was safe. Today had just been too much for him and needed to spend sometime with his daughter to make his day better. It was already off to a better end because Ziva would be spending time with them but all that was missing was his daughter safely cuddled with him on the couch watching a movie before bedtime.

They picked Isabella up from the daycare and when she entered the car and noticed Ziva she became ecstatic to find that she was with them and even more excited that she was going to be sleeping over. Ziva had just laughed at how excited the little girl was to see her. They reached the apartment, dropped their stuff off on the entrance not even bothering to put up their belongings, and crashed on the couch. Tony got up from the couch to pick a random movie and put it in. "Come here, motek." Ziva told Isabella. She wanted to hug her, reassure that Isabella was with them safe and sound and not somewhere, locked up with a random stranger. Isabella wiggled over and got in Ziva's open arms. She closed them and hugged her tightly covering her entirely with kisses.

Tony just stopped and watched the interaction between Ziva and Isabella. It made his heart swell a little at the interaction, they were so adorable and got along so well. Tony was glad that his daughter had someone like Ziva. Tony walked back to the couch and threw himself on there landing with a thud. "How about some love for dad?" Tony said.

Isabella got out of her father's hold and threw herself at him. "Lots of love for daddy!" she squealed, kissing him all over and giving him tight hugs. As the movie started they all cuddled, Isabella in the middle between Ziva and her dad wanting to snuggle up to the both of them as they watched the Muppets.

Halfway through the movie the doorbell rang. Tony looked at his watched, noticing how late it was he wondered who it could be at this time. He got up, as Ziva gave him the same questioning look he had, and went to answer the door. As he took in who was standing in front of him covered in cuts and bruises he couldn't help wonder what it was that had happened to her. But he couldn't speak he hadn't heard from any of them in such a long time he was surprised to see her here. All he could manage was one word. "Rachael?"

**So please don't hate me. I'm already having a crappy day. Hope you liked the chapter, leave reviews. Also, I have caught up to my chapters so after this week it will probably be only weekly updates until I am able to get ahead again. Well have a good day and for all you watching NCIS tonight all I have to say is deep breaths. **


	17. Help me Tony!

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**

**Previously on Love is a Privilege:**

Halfway through the movie the doorbell rang. Tony looked at his watched, noticing how late it was he wondered who it could be at this time. He got up, as Ziva gave him the same questioning look he had, and went to answer the door. As he took in who was standing in front of him covered in cuts and bruises he couldn't help wonder what it was that had happened to her. But he couldn't speak he hadn't heard from any of them in such a long time he was surprised to see her here. All he could manage was one word. "Rachael?"

**Chapter 17: Help me Tony!**

Kate's sister was standing in front of him, tears streaming down her bruised face. She was shaking, nothing more than sobs were audible from her. She looked so fragile, like if Tony were to take her hand she would fall apart. All these different scenarios running through his head as to why she was like this. He couldn't imagine what it was that had happened. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to know. "Rach, what the hell happened?" He asked with rage, worry and curiosity in his voice.

Rachael put her arms around her body, she was shaking uncontrollably, she was scared, frightened and couldn't find the words to speak. "I.. uh….he.. I can't." She shook her head, tears flooding her, all the emotions overwhelming. It had all been too much for her. She didn't want to relieve it; it was still too fresh.

Tony walked over to her slowly, so not to spook her, put an arm around her shoulders. Rachael flinched at his touch, the wounds still too fresh in her mind. "Hey, it's just me. You're okay." Tony reassured and when she realized it was Tony she allowed him to guide her into his apartment, keeping her arms around herself the entire time. She felt protected that way, like nobody could touch her. But yet they could, they had. Tony continued to guide her over towards the living room, keeping his hold on her tight, afraid that if he let her go she would break down.

Both Isabella and Ziva turned, when they heard Tony and someone else walk into the room. As soon as Isabella realized it was her aunt Rachael, she jumped out of Ziva's lap, ran towards her aunt, and slammed into her. "Aunt Rach!" Isabella exclaimed, she hadn't seen her aunt in a while and was glad to see her. She wrapped her tiny arms around her aunt's legs, squeezing them tightly. "I glad to see you." Isabella looked up at her aunt, staring at her with such a big smile on her face.

Rachael looked down at her niece smiling weakly at her. Not wanting to overwhelm her and give her some space Tony sent Isabella to bed. He knew that she wouldn't be able to keep up appearances now she needed to be able to let everything out. "Bella, sweetie, go put your pajamas on and I'll join you in a minute to put you to bed."

Isabella let go of her aunt's legs, nodding and standing in front of her dad. "Ziva too?" She glanced over at Ziva who nodded and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Yes," Ziva nodded as she walked over to Isabella and held out her hand for her to take. "Let us go get you ready for bed." As Isabella and Ziva, walked by Tony, he whispered a thank you to her, and led Rachael over to the couch.

Ziva and Isabella made their way down the hallway and into Isabella's room. She ran into her room, pulled out her mom's NCIS from under her pillow and held it out to Ziva so she could help her put it on.

Ziva couldn't help but chuckle, the shirt was huge on her and it looked like a really big dress. But she understood why she wanted to wear it. It was her mom's shirt and she understood that having something close could help. "Do you want to be an NCIS agent?"

"Yes, I want to be the best just like you, daddy, and mommy." Ziva couldn't help but smile at the fact that she had been included in that list. Isabella was really growing on her, everyday taking over a little bit more of her heart. Although, it had taken Kate's death to bring them together, that part she didn't like, but she was glad they were now. Putting Isabella to bed sure beat going home to an empty apartment, that didn't feel much like a home, turning on the TV for background noise and cooking her some dinner. She had a lonely life but Isabella and Tony helped with that. Some nights she really wished that Tony would ask her to stay, or that they would fall asleep, just so she wouldn't have to go home to an empty apartment, feeling lonely. It scared her that she had grown so dependent of the two because what would happen when one day Tony found someone else, then he wouldn't have time to be Ziva's friend, Isabella would forget about her and once again just like that she would be lonely again, going home to an empty apartment.

"I think that is a wonderful idea." Ziva cupped Isabella's face, kissing her forehead tenderly. "But how about we put on some warmer pajamas, yes?" It was starting to get cooler now that they were heading into October and having Isabella in just Kate's t-shirt would not be suitable.

"Okay," Isabella frowned. She really loved wearing her mom's shirt. It made her feel like she was there with her, in her dreams. She loved dreaming about her mom but it would sadden her in the mornings when she would wake up and realize that her mom was no longer there. But if Ziva was there with them or she knew that they would be seeing her later it would help with the pain and she would be able to smile and continue on with her day. But her mom was never too far rom her mind. "My monkey pajamas?" Isabella asked, those were second favorite and if she couldn't sleep with her mom's shirt she hoped she would be able to use her favorite regular pajamas.

"That would be fine." Ziva went over to her pajama drawer, grabbed her monkey pajamas as Isabella took off the NCIS shirt, and put on the others. She hopped into bed, as Ziva made her way over and kissed her on the cheek.

Ziva tucked her in nice and tight, gave her another kiss, and wished her goodnight. "Laila tov, Bella."

Isabella returned the kisses but held on to Ziva a bit longer not wanting her to go. "Ziva, can you lay with me until I fall asleep?" She asked, Ziva still holding on to her midsection hoping she could convince her to stay.

Ziva smiled, "yes of course tateleh." She got out of Isabella's hold making her way to the spot Isabella had made for her. As soon as Ziva settled herself in, Isabella cuddled up into Ziva's body, yawning widely and closing her eyes.

"Laila tov." Isabella said through a yawn, settling herself in Ziva's hold, getting comfortable as she closed her eyes.

Ziva smiled, running her fingers through Isabella's hair; as she leaned down to kiss her forehead gently. "Laila tov," Ziva whispered. She looked down seeing that Isabella's eyes were closed but she didn't know if she was fully asleep. Not wanting to wake her by getting out of the hold, she closed her eyes and leaned her head on the pillow.

Tony left Rachael on the couch to go to the kitchen and get her some water, knowing the calming effect water can have. He came back with the glass of water and held it out for Rachael. "Drink," she took it with a shaking hand and took a sip feeling cool against her burning, dry throat. "Rachael what happened?" He asked her again, putting his hand on her forearm gently. He needed to know what was going on, if he had to go kick some ass or whom he needed to kill.

She took a deep breath before trying to speak, hoping that this time she would be able to get the words to tell Tony what happened. But she was afraid, afraid that all the promises he had made would come true, that if she indeed spoke she would be dead soon. That thought alone made her throat constrict, closing it up to where she struggled to swallow or breath, or speak. "Rach you gotta tell me what happen. So I know how to help."

"My boyfriend, Jonathan, he uh he.. he came home drunk again. He's been drinking lately; a lot actually, he'd come home drunk at least four times a week. Well I was calling my brother asking him for advice on how to get rid of him. He uh… he gets violent when he drinks." The tears were falling now, she lifted her sleeve to show Tony the bruises on her arms. Tony's body stiffened, balled his fist, and resisted the urge to punch something, anything. He really wanted to punch a wall but couldn't, he knew it would scare her. Rachael noticed the change in Tony but continued. "Well he came home, caught me speaking with my brother, heard that I wanted to leave him. So, of course, he automatically thinks that I'm leaving him for another man. I tried to explain it was my brother but he wouldn't buy it. He started getting violent, aggressive, said that if I even thought of leaving him for another man he would kill me. He went to the kitchen and got a knife tried to stab me, but I knocked him out, hoped on the first bus to D.C. and came straight here." Tears were falling her body was shaking. She was so ashamed, she couldn't believe that she had allowed this to happen to her. Admitting it to Tony made her feel weak, vulnerable, like less of a woman. She was like her sister in that way; she didn't like to be seen less just because she was a woman. She was as equally powerful as a man but what had happened to her made her feel less. "Tony, he's out there. He will find me and go through with his promise." She was scared that he would find her. She just wanted to feel safe, not have to look over her shoulder.

"We will find him. Until then I want you to stay here. I will call Gibbs and we will get to the bottom of this tomorrow. But for now I want you to go get some rest. You can stay in Bella's room."

"Thank you Tony. I really appreciate it. Kate was really lucky to have found you." She squeezed his forearm, smiled bitter sweetly at him as he got off the couch to head down the hall to Isabella's room. But she stopped as soon as she entered. She stopped Tony as he walked by, he looked at her with a confused look, she just pulled him into the room and he smiled when he realized what he was looking at.

"I forgot that Ziva never came back. Now I know why." Tony smiled as he waked over to Isabella's bed. He was going to carry Isabella first and then come back for Ziva but they were both entangled with one another that it was difficult to remove her without waking Ziva. "Zi,"Tony shook Ziva gently. "Hey, Zi, you feel asleep." She stirred a bit, enough that Tony was able to pick Isabella up. He shook Ziva again. "Ziva," he shook her again.

Her eyelids fluttered, a yawn escaping her, and she rolled over when she saw Tony standing in front of her with Isabella in his arms. She looked to her side and back at Tony confused. "What happened?"

"You feel asleep, but Rachael is going to sleep here. So I needed to get the both of you back to my room. I knew you would kill me if I carried you over." He whispered to her so not to wake Isabella up.

"You are not mistaken Tony." Ziva told him as she got up from the bed and followed them into his bedroom. She was too tired to even argue that she needed to sleep on the couch so she sluggishly put on her pj's and got into the bed, Isabella automatically snuggling up to Ziva as she felt someone's presence. Ziva gave Isabella one last kiss on her forehead as she tightened her hold on Isabella. "Laila tov Tony." Ziva said through a yawn, closing her eyes and falling asleep.

"Good night Ziva." Tony responded as he too made his way into the bed needing much sleep after the long day they've had. First a little girl goes missing, whom they have not been able to find, and then Rachael had shown up at his doorstep after her abusive boyfriend had gotten violent with her. He was definitely going to need his sleep especially since he had a feeling that Gibbs was going to call them early in the morning for the case. He pulled the covers over himself, kissed Isabella on the forehead as he stared at Ziva's relaxed face. He rarely got to see her at her most vulnerable, she looked so gentle, relaxed. He tucked a loose strand behind her ear, wishing he could kiss her forehead but decided against it, he knew that would be crossing so many boundaries he knew they weren't ready to cross. So, he resisted the urge and just lay back down to go to sleep.

It was four thirty in the morning when Tony's cell phone started to vibrate against his nightstand, echoing loudly throughout the room. He heard it but choose to ignore it, groaning loudly as he shoved his head into his pillow, hoping that if he ignored it it would go away. It did eventually; Tony sighed and settled himself going back to sleep. But the peace and quiet didn't last long, his phone started to vibrate once again. "Tony, make it stop or I will shove your cellphone down your throat." Ziva groaned.

Tony mumbled something under his voice, burrowed his face into the pillow, and just stretched out his right arm searching for his phone. "DiNozzo," Tony said his voice thick with sleep and agitation from being woken up so early.

"DiNozzo, wake up, we found another dead body and missing child. I want you in the office now." Gibbs barked about to hang up when Tony stopped him.

"Ziva too boss?" Tony asked him, he knew that his boss was aware that Ziva was staying with him.

"No DiNozzo, tell her to come into the office at regular time. You'll need her to watch Isabella until she goes to daycare. I know it's early DiNozzo but try and use your brain." Crap, he had totally forgotten about Isabella. It was way too early, he shouldn't be up now he should still be asleep dreaming about- well just dreaming.

"Understood boss on my way." Tony shut off the phone and groaned. He didn't want to get up he just wanted to keep sleeping. But he knew that those kids had to be found and the murderers found.

"Do we have to go in?" Ziva asked, already fully awake, ready to get up on a minutes notice. She was used to it. In mossad this would be starting time she was used to it but America had made her a little lazy and was no longer used to the earlier hours of the day.

"I do, you don't, lucky duck, you don't have to go in until regular time. He said that you were to take Isabella to daycare and then go in to the office. But I can't ask that of you. So ill just take her to the office with me." Tony said as he was slowly waking enough to manage to get out of bed and get ready for the day.

"Tony, do not be ridiculous, I do not mind getting her ready, and dropping her off at daycare. There is no way I will allow you to take her at this time." She whispered so as to not wake the sleeping little girl.

"Thank you," Tony whispered back barely managing to put on his clothes. He disappeared into the bathroom to splash some water on his face, brush his teeth, and do his hair. Meanwhile Ziva got up to start some coffee for Tony. She knew he would need it to get him through the day. It was the least she could do since she was staying while him and McGee, and Gibbs were hard at work.

Tony fumbled out of the bedroom, ready enough as he could be after getting ready in less than twenty minutes, went into the kitchen to make himself some coffee but smiled when he found that Ziva was already there pouring fresh brewed decaf mixed with regular coffee into a travel mug. "Thanks," Tony thanked her as he took the mug from her. He headed towards the door to grab his backpack and keys, Ziva following closely behind him so she could lock the door.

"Do not fall asleep on the way there." Ziva joked, as she took in how tired Tony looked. From experience she knew that he wasn't a morning person and having to get up earlier than six was killing him. "I will see you at the office later. Do not worry about Isabella I will take care of everything." She smiled, standing awkwardly at the doorway.

"Thanks, you're a lifesaver." Without thought Tony bent down and gave Ziva a kiss on her forehead gentle enough that it could have meant something more. Ziva froze not really knowing how to respond not knowing what the kiss meant. "Sorry, I uh, I didn't mean to." Tony quickly retracted ready to make a run for it.

"It is okay, do not worry." She smiled to reassure him that it was okay she wasn't mad. Tony smiled back, heading out the door closing it behind him. Ziva locked the door, keeping her hand on the lock as she smiled widely. Tony had kissed her on the forehead, although it meant nothing more than a friendly thank you kiss on the forehead, she couldn't help but smile. She couldn't get the feeling of how Tony's soft warm lips had felt against her skin. The tenderly way he had kissed her, she wasn't used to that. Most men were rough with her only after one thing before they disposed of her like a used item. She shook those thoughts from her mind. It wasn't safe for her to think of Tony that way. He was just her friend. There was no way he felt that way about her especially since he still loved Kate. She walked from the door unaware that Tony was still standing outside of it amazed that he had actually kissed Ziva's forehead, and walked towards the bedroom so she could change, to go for a run to clear her head.

Tony stood outside the door, he was shocked, absolutely shocked. Had he really kissed Ziva on the forehead? He had been taken by the emotions, the moment, the closeness of their relationship. He wasn't really thinking, he had just done it on impulse, instinct. He smiled; it had felt so normal, so right to kiss her, like they were meant to be. But unfortunately, she probably didn't feel the same way he did. They were just friends and he guessed that it was better than nothing at all. He sighed, but leaving with a grin on his face. He was now more awake than he had been just moments ago. With the way his head was going, thinking about Ziva, the kiss, and everything else Tony already knew that it was going to be a long day for him. The only thing he was looking forward was seeing Ziva in the office later in the morning.

Ziva had come back from her ten mile run, that being a mile or two more than she normally ran, but she needed to clear her head, think things through. Everything was getting a bit confusing. Maybe staying with Tony was going to be a bit risky. She needed to get rid of the feelings she had for many reasons. Tony would never feel the same about her, he was still in love with Kate, there was the fact that Gibbs forbidding them from ever acting on their feelings, also even if he did feel about her that way maybe Isabella would never agree to them being together. The thoughts in her head were all very complicated but it couldn't be so she just had to get over her feelings and think of Tony in no other way than just best friends. She took out the spare key Tony had given her, since she would be staying at his place, made her way into the apartment careful not make any noise. It was barely six thirty in the morning and knew that Rachael and Isabella would still be sleeping. She made her way into the master bathroom, to take a much-needed shower after all the running, and tension she had built up. She got into the shower allowing the hot water to fall against her tense muscles, slowing relaxing her, taking all the stress she had built up wash away from her body.

The water was now freezing cold signaling to Ziva that it was now time to get out of shower and get started on the day. Today she was flying solo, getting Isabella up, dressed, breakfast and out the door to preschool and NCIS. Ziva grabbed her bathrobe, walked out of the shower, and out into the bedroom sitting on the edge near Isabella. She stroked her hair and back slowly hoping the movement would wake her without the startle. "Tateleh, it is morning." She continued to rub her back gently. "Rise and sunshine, motek."

Isabella stirred a bit, signaling that she was aware that morning time had come, but she dug her head into her pillow and groaned. "I no wanna. I schweepy."

Ziva kissed Isabella's forehead a couple of times before trying another tactic. "I will let you pick out my clothes to wear today if you wake up." Isabella shot up landing on Ziva's lap and looking at her with wide eyes. Ziva laughed at Isabella's reaction, just like her father every time he was startled awake.

"Really?" Isabella asked cheerfully looking up at Ziva with hopeful eyes. Ziva smiled and nodded at Isabella as she jumped out of her lap and headed to find her suitcase. She had made a big mess of it but had found the perfect outfit she wanted Ziva to wear. She had picked out some black dress pants, a white long sleeve V-neck, and her red leather jacket. "Dis?" Isabella asked as she brought over the items that she wanted Ziva to wear. She wanted her to look gorgeous for when she saw her daddy.

"Yes, that is perfect." Ziva grinned; she was surprised that Isabella had actually picked out something that she would agree wearing. "Now go wake your aunt Rachael and pick out your clothes. I will be there soon to do your hair." Isabella nodded as she walked away to go do as she was asked. Ziva slapped her on her tiny booty as the little girl walked away and she headed to the bathroom to get dressed so that she could go do Isabella's hair and approve of her wardrobe.

They were now on their way out, surprisingly on time, Isabella had picked out a similar outfit to Ziva's, well as close as she could, her favorite jeans, white long sleeve, and her blue scarf, since she didn't have a leather jacket. They had had a quick breakfast, packed lunches, and now all three were headed out of the apartment ready to take on the day. After dropping off Isabella, Rachael and Ziva were now headed to the NCIS building. It was awkward now that they didn't have Isabella holding up most of the conversations between them. Neither knew about one another and didn't know how to start up a conversation.

"So how long have you been going out with Tony?" Rachael asked awkwardly as she stared out the window on alert. She was scared that Jonathan would pop out of nowhere and find her.

Ziva choked on her own spit trying to process what it was that had been asked of her and if she had heard correctly or her brain was playing a cruel joke on her. Once she realized that she had heard correctly she thought about what exactly had been asked of her. It was a legitimate question in Rachael's point of view. When she looked at it from an outsider's prospective it did seem awful convincing that they could in fact be a couple. They had been laying on the couch watching a movie when she had arrived, she was staying over and to make matters worse all three of them had slept in Tony's bed like it was a normal thing they did every night. Then again this morning Ziva was hurrying to get Isabella ready for preschool. So yeah she could see where she might have gotten that idea from especially since last night they hadn't been able to do any introductions. But as Ziva thought about it more she realized that Kate's sister did indeed not know her so why did she think that she could just blurt out a question like that. She didn't think it was any of her business in the first place to be asking these types of questions. "No we are not. We are just friends."

Rachael let out a breath of relief, relief that no woman was taking her sister's place, claiming her man or daughter. After everything she had observed she feared that Tony had moved on too quickly after Kate's death, meaning he never truly loved her and that fact alone worried her. She was a therapist, trained to read people, observe their actions, noticing that Ziva was reserved, quiet in expressing her emotions she deduced that the best way to get through to her was persistence and bluntness. "I just thought because you were there last night and again this morning." Rachael noticed Ziva's change in demeanor; her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. "I hope you can understand that I am worried about Tony and Isabella. They are what's left of Kate's family."

Ziva rolled her eyes at the last part she had said. She became infuriated; family she scoffed under her breath. Where had she been the past five months when Tony could have used their support, their so called family. She fought against going off on her, telling her what she really felt about her. She was more Tony and Isabella's family then Rachael ever had been. She counted down from ten trying to keep from over-reacting on her. "There is no need to worry. I am only staying because my apartment is under repairs." Ziva explained a bit bitterly. She saw a smile escape Rachael's lips infuriating Ziva to no end. But she controlled herself knowing that Tony would not appreciate her returning Rachael to him in an even more bruised state. "I helped him these last few months. They have been hard on all of us." She added using the guilt card to help her win this argument.

"Well I'm glad that Tony has had a friend throughout all of this." She made sure to emphasize the word friend to clarify that that was Ziva and Tony were ever going to be nothing more.

Ziva was going to respond when something caught her attention. She noticed through the rearview mirror that a black suv had been following them for a while now. She knew how to handle being followed, she had been in these situations many times before, but she feared that they were after Rachael and she had promised to keep her safe. At the next light she took a left turn instead of her usual right making constant turns throughout to confirm her suspensions and they were indeed correct. She made her way back to the interstate where it would be easier for her to lose the suv. She sped running lights and stop signs, ignoring the blares of the horns of angry drivers. "What is going?" Rachael asked as she gripped tightly to the handle for dear life, her body pressed against the seat, the seat belt constricting her from moving. "Why are you driving like we are running from someone?"

"This is how I normally drive." Ziva shrugged but when she saw Rachael's scared face she sighed and continued on to tell her the truth. "Do not turn around but a black suv has been following us." The black sub sped up attempting to hit the bumper of the Tony's car in hopes of causing damage. But Ziva was faster in reacting; she switched lanes almost crashing with the car in front of her and the car behind as well. Ziva continued to speed through the highway weaving through cars trying to rid herself of the SUV trailing behind. After a while she lost sight of the SUV and exited the freeway speeding through the streets. She caught sight of the SUV again, groaning in frustration, slamming her hands on the wheel, and pushing her foot on the gas harder. After running a red light, the SUV as well, she was pulled over by a cop, Ziva ranted and cursed in Hebrew. As she pulled over the SUV sped by she made sure to memorize the license plate number so that she could put out a BOLO and look up any information they had on the license plate.

The officer came up to Ziva's car; she rolled down her window and flashed a smile at the officer. The man stood in front of the window cynically, "license and registration ma'am." Ziva pulled out her Israeli license, her insurance and badge, making sure to display her badge first. "Ma'am," Ziva cringed at the word. If there was one thing she absolutely hated it was being called ma'am. "Are you aware that you were going eighty in a forty and you also ran a red light?"

"I am aware officer but you as you see I am a federal agent and we were being followed. I was just trying to lose them." She explained hoping to get her way out a ticket.

The police officer looked over her NCIS badge, then her license, then at Ziva and back at her identifications. He thought she was a very gorgeous woman; he scribbled his phone number down on a sheet of paper, handed it to her and stood cooly although inside he was a nervous sweating fool. "If you have any trouble with cops or anything just give me a call. I'd love to take you out for a drink sometime." He flashed her a smile.

"Thank you," Ziva smiled, flipped her hair, flirting with the police officer to keep him from giving her a ticket. She didn't have time for that she needed to get back to the Navy Yard. She took the paper from him, rubbing her hand over hers and leaving it lingering.

He looked at her seriously now, all flushed, and embarrassed from the moment they had supposedly shared. "Please try not to drive so crazily next time it'll save us the trouble of having you get pulled over." He told her as she nodded and laughed. She would always drive like that no one would stop her except Isabella for her she would drive normal. The police officer made his way back to his car as Ziva put the car in drive off trying to make it back to NCIS.

Ziva made it back to the Navy Yard in ten minutes, going through security, and getting Rachael a visitor's badge. They headed up to the squad room where only Tony was found working diligently at his computer. Ziva made her way into the squad room, dropping her backpack behind her desk, and plopping down on her chair. "Where are Gibbs and McGee?" Ziva asked avoiding eye contact with Tony. She still felt awkward about what had happened earlier this morning and really hoped that Tony wouldn't want to talk about it.

"Coffee run and Abby's lab." Tony answered simply, looking up from his computer to look at Ziva and Rachael. Ziva proceeded to turn on her computer so that she could help out Tony with whatever it was he was doing and put a BOLO out on the car that was following them. "Hey Rach how are you feeling?"

"Better thank you. Although I almost died this morning but I feel okay." Tony gave her a confused look and Rachael laughed as she looked at Ziva. "Apparently a black suv was following us and Ziva began to drive like a maniac." Rachael explained.

Tony laughed at the drive like a maniac but grew concern as he realized that she had said they were being followed. "That's typical Ziva driving." He turned to look at Ziva now wanting answers to his growing concern. "Now what about this being followed thing?" he asked her.

"There was a black SUV following us. I am putting out a bolo right now and I will then run the license plate." Ziva explained to Tony as she inputted the license plate number.

"I am glad you guys are okay." He led Rachael to McGee's desk and had her sit there. Then proceeded back to Ziva's desk placing his hands on her desk and leaning over. She blushed nervously of him being so close to her face. "How was Isabella this morning? Did she ask about me?"

Ziva grinned trying to hide how nervous she really was. "You did not come up at all. But she did not want to wake up this morning so I told her she could pick out my outfit if she did." Ziva laughed as she remembered the morning. "She shot right up and ran to pick out my clothes."

"Well she did a pretty good job." Ziva blushed even more as did Tony. "Where are you going?" Tony asked Rachael as she tried to escape to the elevator. With her abusive boyfriend loose he didn't want her going anywhere unaccompanied. Especially since the boyfriend was a private detective he was trained for these kinds of things. If he was serious about carrying out his treat he would find her.

"I need to get some fresh air." She replied. She needed to get out of the confined space, watching Tony purposely flirt was too much for her. Her sister's death was still a fresh wound and she didn't understand how Tony, her husband, out of all people was over it so quickly. Like the last five years of their life hadn't happened. She just couldn't, wouldn't see him with anyone else. Not yet anyways.

"Not alone you aren't. You need to be accompanied by me or Ziva at all times." She rolled her eyes as if he was just being an overly protective big brother but Tony was serious about keeping her safe. He wouldn't let anything to happen to her. He wouldn't be responsible for the death of another Todd.

"Tony," she sighed. She didn't really think that she needed to be chaperoned by him. She could handle herself and plus she was in a navy yard where there were agents to keep her safe. She highly doubted that her boyfriend, sorry ex-boyfriend would be capable of doing anything to her in public, especially in a navy yard of all places. But one stern look from Tony made her sigh and nod her head in defeat okay. "Okay," she agreed.

Tony followed Rachael to the elevators, signaling to Ziva that he would be back, but as the doors of the elevators opened their boss walked out coffee in hand. "DiNozzo MTAC," Gibbs ordered as he walked toward the direction of MTAC.

"But boss," Tony began to protest knowing full on well that that was never a good option.

"MTAC, now he ordered." Tony nodded, as he called out to Ziva to take his place with Rachael. She agreed and gave him a smile as they walked past one another. Tony made his way towards MTAC as Ziva and Rachael made their way outside.

Once outside of the NCIS building Ziva allowed Rachael some space to clear her head. She figured that she wanted to be alone. "I am going to get us some coffee." Ziva told her as she headed over to the coffee cart they normally bought their coffee from. Rachael nodded, lost in her thoughts and walked towards a bench in a far corner. Lost in her own thoughts about what she was going to do about Tony and worrying that Jonathan could find her at any moment she didn't notice the presence that had approached her. It wasn't until the all too familiar voice asked her for the time that she reacted. He quickly put a hand to her mouth to keep her from screaming.

"Don't make a noise, just follow me and everything will be okay." Jonathan said as he grabbed her fiercely by the arms, keeping his hand over her mouth.

She didn't care that he had threatened to hurt her. She needed to scream, needed to get Ziva's attention. She wouldn't go with him she couldn't. She didn't know what he would do to her if she did. She bit his hand and as he pulled it from her hand to inspect the injury she took the advantage to scream for Ziva, for any help really. "Ziva! Ziva!" she screamed repeatedly until he punched her in the stomach knocking the wind out of her.

Ziva heard her name being called, she turned just as she was paying for the coffee, she noticed Rachael being dragged by a man she thought to be the abusive ex. She dropped the coffees on the cart and ran towards her. She noticed that he had punched her repeatedly in the stomach trying to shut her up and that only infuriated Ziva more. She made it over to where they were she reached for her waist to ready her gun but she mentally cursed herself when she realized she had left it in her desk drawer. Thankfully, she had her knife and that would work just a well. She held it to her side as she crept up behind the man that was too busy beating on an innocent woman. She slid her hands up to his head pulling it back as she positioned her knife near his neck. "Federal agent let her go." He didn't and she tightened her hold on him. "Let her go." She repeated and this time he did. He let her go but with such force that she stumbled onto the ground.

She picked herself up and ran towards the building. She needed to get Tony, Ziva would surely need back up.

Meanwhile, Ziva still had the man in her hold but now that he had his hands free he wiggled himself out of Ziva's hold landing a punch in her stomach knocking the wind out of Ziva but not quite paralyzing her like he had expected. He tried to land a few more punches but Ziva was too quick for him too sly. She stopped them landing a few of her own but they weren't enough to back him down. He just kept swinging recklessly tiring himself out until fed up with the situation he pulled out a knife he had forgotten he was carrying. He held it out pushing it towards Ziva trying to catch any part of her body that he could trying to wound her in anyway possible. Eventually he just lunged himself at her. It all had happened quickly and the next thing Ziva knew was that she was on lying with her back to the grass, Jonathan on top of her, and the feel of warm sticky blood.

**Sorry for not updating yesterday. I had a lot of homework to catch up on. But here it is, hoped you liked it. Let me know what you think, if you have any suggestions, or ideas. I'm open to anything. Just review or send me a PM. Have a nice day!**


	18. Interrogation

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS  
**

**Previously on Love is a Privilege:**

It all had happened quickly and the next thing Ziva knew was that she was on lying with her back to the grass, Jonathan on top of her, and the feel of warm sticky blood, Tony calling out her name as he made his way over to her.

**Chapter 18:**

Jonathan didn't move off of Ziva, he just inhaled a raspy deep breath and continued to wheeze. Ziva couldn't push the man off of her, he was too heavy, and Ziva stayed trapped under the man unable to move, feeling the blood trickle down her shirt. Tony ran over to Ziva screaming her name as he did. Afraid of seeing both of them lying on the floor not moving, Tony ran faster, getting to where Ziva and Jonathan lay. He aggressively grabbed the man's arms, turned him to adjust them behind his back and handcuffed his wrists. The man winced as Tony pulled his left arm, pushing him off of Ziva. He held a wincing man with one hand as he held out his left to help Ziva up. As he did he noticed that there was blood on her shirt. "Are you okay?" He said with worry in his voice that Ziva had been injured.

"It is not my blood," she nodded her head towards the abusive man. Tony noticed that the man was bleeding through his shirt, the bloody knife still on the grass. "I am fine." Ziva straightened herself up, brushed off the dirt and grass that she had accumulated on her clothes over the course of the fight. She gave Tony a reassuring smile, "thank you." She told him in barely above a whisper. She didn't really know why she was thanking him for, maybe because he worried about her or maybe for helping her. She didn't know; all she knew was that she was happy to see him.

"Any time," Tony answered, Ziva followed him back into the NCIS building so that Ducky could take a look at their victim and then take him to Gibbs so that he could interrogate him and send him to jail. Giving his sister in law some piece of mind.

They walked through the outer part of the squad room to make their way to the elevator that would take them down to autopsy. Rachael had heard the protests that were coming from her ex boyfriend and she stood to make sure that it was in fact him and Tony had him under his custody and sure enough it was. But he noticed her standing there, watching, and overcome with anger he began screaming at her, calling her names that weren't appropriate in an office building. "You bitch! You are mine! No one elses! I will find you, trust that you will never be safe from me!" he continued to scream until Tony and Ziva pushed him into the elevator, shutting the doors to shut him up. Ziva stayed so that she could go find Gibbs and make sure that Rachael was okay.

Ziva headed back to the squad room where she noticed Rachael shaking and crying, sitting behind McGee's desk, head hidden between her legs. Ziva walked over, crouching down to get up to eye level with her. "Are you okay?" Ziva asked, regretting the words as soon as they had been said. Of course she wasn't okay. Her boyfriend found her, tried to take her, and then threatened to kill her.

"I'm better now that you guys have him." Rachael didn't remove her head from her knees. Trying to calm herself down she took deep breaths, evening out her breaths and calming her sobs.

"Let us go get some coffee yes?" Rachael nodded. Ziva helped Rachael up. Then headed to the break room for a cup of coffee. On the way Ziva sent Tony a text to see if he was interrogating the bastard yet.

Tony had texted Ziva back almost immediately telling her that they were still stitching the son of a bitch up and that he would text her once they headed for interrogation. He had originally wanted Gibbs to interrogate him but as he spent more time with him Tony was taking It personally and wanted to be the one to break him, make him fear like he made his sister in law feel. No one messed with his family and even though technically the Todds had separated them after Kate had died he still thought of them as family and he would do anything to protect her because he knew that was what Kate would have wanted.

Ziva and Rachael sat in the break room drinking their cup of coffee, while Ziva waited for a text from Tony. Rachael fidgeted with her coffee cup, looking up at Ziva ever so often. There was something on her mind and she didn't know how she was going to say it after how rudely she had been with Ziva just earlier that day. She found the courage, clearing her throat to move the lump that prevented her from speaking. "Thank you," she started, still trying to piece together the words she wanted to say. "For uh helping me even though I was very rude to you earlier." She said quickly wanting to get it over with.

"I promised Tony I would take care of you. I do not break promises I make." Ziva responded wanting to stir from another conversation that would result in her getting accused of something that she had not done.

"Still, that was very nice. You could have been the one stabbed not him yet you reacted immediately not caring about the consequences. Tony and Isabella are lucky to have you in their life." She gave Ziva the first genuine smile all day. Ziva searched her eyes for any falseness in her words. But she didn't find anything but sincerity.

"I am just as lucky." She replied a smiling creeping up on her as she said those words. She really did feel lucky. Ziva felt her a vibration in her pants pocket. She pulled out her phone and checked to see whom the text was from. It was from Tony telling her he was headed to interrogation. "Tony is about to interrogate Jonathan would you like to watch?" Ziva asked. She thought that maybe watching him break like a little girl would make her feel better, get a sense of satisfaction of finally being free of him.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt." She shrugged, getting up from the table to follow Ziva out. Ziva got up as well but she headed for the coffee maker pouring decaf and regular into a cup, so she could take to Tony. She knew that he would be needing one soon.

They both made their way to interrogation, Tony's coffee in hand. They went into the viewing room. Tony was already in interrogation screaming that he was a bastard for what he had done and he would make him pay. But he wasn't saying anything, just sitting there, staring at Tony, like his threats didn't scare him. Frustrated, Tony slammed his hands on the table and walked out. He needed a verbal confession that he had done the things that Rachael had said to be able to press charges against him. He walked into the viewing room knowing that Ziva and Rachael would be there watching. Walking in he slammed the door in frustration. Ziva pushed the cup of coffee in front of him. "Here drink this."

Tony took the cup gratefully, taking a sip, the hot liquid burning his throat on the way down.  
Thank you, I needed this." He smiled at her. This had been the second time that she had gotten him coffee and just the way he liked it. It was weird how well they knew each other already.

"I need your help. If I am going to get a confession out of him." Tony chugged the rest of his coffee, threw the cup away, gave Rachael a reassuring smile and urged Ziva to follow him to interrogation.

They walked in, Tony going to sit in the chair in front of the bastard while Ziva stood by Tony. "Would you like to tell me why you abused my sister?" He growled at the man who sat with not a care in the world except for the pain in his side.

He shrugged. "She deserved it for being a whore and I would happily do it again." He replied an evil grin creeping up on him.

Angered by his comment Ziva lunged herself forward, Tony pulling her back from her shirt before she was able to inflict pain. Ziva glared at him, wondering why he had stopped her. Tony still had his hold on Ziva, staring at the man that made his skin crawl. "Tell me everything or next time I won't stop her." Tony was really hoping that he wouldn't say anything so that he could release Ziva on him.

"I'm not scared. She is a woman, weak. You should learn to control your wife better."

Tony released his hold on Ziva. He knew that comment would kill the man because it had pissed him off and Ziva even more. She lunged herself at Jonathan. He was a dead man. She picked him off his chair and pinned him up against the wall. One hand on his neck the other lingering so that she could prepare a blow if needed. Tony just stood behind the table smirking. If anyone could get him to confess it would be her. "Confess to what you did."

"No, " he spat as he spit on Ziva's face.

Ziva tightened her hold on his neck cutting off all sources of air. The man tried gasping for air but it wouldn't come. He managed to yell out, "okay, okay!" as his wiggled his feet and tried to get out of Ziva's tight hold. No man would every call her weak or spit in her face.

Ziva released her hold on the man and he came crumbling down, slamming down onto the floor. "Speak," Ziva ordered, standing over him, instilling fear into him.

Jonathan stood up slowly, backing away from Ziva scared that she would pin him against the wall once again. "Okay," he sighed. "I abused her, threatened to kill her, and I would have kept my promise if hadn't have been for that bitch intervening. I want her dead and I want her to pay for making a fool out of me."

Both Tony and Ziva stood heading towards the door. "Thank you, that was all we needed." Tony said as they walked to the door stopping to look at the man who sat before him. "I hope you enjoy your stay in Bethesda." He said one last time and slammed the door as he released a breath, glad that soon he would be behind bars.

"Thank you, I needed to that." She said looking over at Tony. "He just made my skin crawl. I wanted to do way worse than pin him against the wall but I know that Gibbs would have not approved of my torture choices."

"I would have. After what he did to Rachael and the way he was so cynical about the whole thing I wouldn't have mind seeing him suffer just a little bit more." Ziva nodded in agreement. She too wouldn't have minded inflicting that amount of pain.

"I will go inform Gibbs of the situation. Go take care of Rachael she will need your support." Ziva placed a hand on Tony's shoulder as she made her way down the hallway, towards the squad room, in hopes of finding Gibbs.

Ziva had found Gibbs, told him of the current situation, he had gotten furious because Kate had been like a daughter to him, and that was Kate's family. He took care of the situation ordering transportation for the man that sat in interrogation. Tony and Rachael had spent a couple of hours talking in the viewing room. They had finally come out, joined the rest of the team, who had not been doing anything because they couldn't continue with the investigation, the CIA had blocked them access to all the files they needed to access.

With nothing left to do Gibbs sent his team home. It was still early and Tony didn't want to go home so instead he went to pick Isabella from daycare and headed to town to have a fun dinner.

When Ziva noticed that they were not on the way to Tony's apartment she asked Tony where they were headed. "Tony, where are we going?"

"To some place that has the best burgers and milkshakes. I don't feel like going home." He said as he continued to drive.

"That sounds like a good idea." Ziva replied smiling, keeping her vision on the road in front of her.

They fell into a comfortable silence until Isabella disrupted it. "Ziva can you play some of your music from this morning?" Isabella asked. She had enjoyed the Latin and Hebrew music Ziva had played from her iPod on the way to drop her off at school.

"Of course, tateleh." Ziva replied as she pulled out her iPod from her backpack and plugged it in to the av cable Tony had in his car. The first song to play was a Hebrew pop song that had a nice rhythm to dance too. Both Ziva and Isabella couldn't help but sing along. Tony so often glared back in the rear view mirror to stare at his daughter. He still couldn't believe that she could understand Hebrew and let alone sing along.

Tony smiled and turned to look at Ziva, who was singing quietly along to the song. She felt him staring and turned to look. "What?" She asked.

"You know, you are turning my daughter into a mini Israeli." The more they spent with her the more she was rubbing off on Isabella. She was no longer using contractions; she was acquiring Ziva's taste for food and music, and the many languages she spoke.

"I am sorry." Ziva replied seriously. She had not known that Tony was joking.

"You don't need to be sorry. I like it." He said, a smile escaping from her lips. She hadn't known why but that made her feel special. She liked that Tony liked that Isabella was acting like her. It made her feel part of something, a family.

They pulled up at the burger place soon after. Isabella quickly going to walk between her dad and Ziva; Rachael standing awkwardly behind them. She felt strange; like she was intruding in a family moment she was no longer part of. But now she no longer hated Tony for moving on. He could tell that he still deeply loved Kate but it was good for him to have someone in his life such as Ziva.

They walked into the restaurant going to sit over at a booth. Isabella called that she wanted to sit with Ziva and ran to pick a booth. She slid in, sitting by the window as she waited for the rest to catch up. They finally did and as they looked through the menu Isabella informed them about her day. She talked about Derek, Emelia, and her working on their art project and putting on a play for fun. She was telling them about their wacko play with dolphins, dragons, unicorns, and giraffes when the waitress came over to take their orders. Tony had ordered the bacon, cheese, avocado and all the other ingredients it came with, burger. He had convinced Ziva to order the same but without bacon and cheese. Isabella ordered the kiddy burger, Rachael a salad and all ordered vanilla milkshakes. Once the waitress left Isabella resumed telling them about their play. "I was the giraffe, Derek was the dragon, Emelia was the dolphin and bailey was the unicorn. Derek and I were the mommy and daddy and we had the baby dolphin. Bailey was the unicorn and one day she had come to our castle asking for a home. We gave her one but she ate all of our cupcakes. So we banished her to our cellar in which we made her eat spinach and she lost all of her pretty colors, turning green and she was no longer a unicorn. She turned into a green donkey." Isabella finished the story and everyone chuckled.

That had been the craziest story they had ever heard. Ziva pulled Isabella into a sideways hug, kissing the top of her head. "Oh, tateleh you are such a goof wheel." Ziva said clearly messing up the saying. Isabella looked up at ziva with a confused expression.

"Good ball not good wheel." Tony corrected her.

"That does not make sense either way." Ziva said frustrated. The English language did not make sense sometimes. It was confusing and unoriginal, as it mixed words from all languages.

Tony shrugged; he didn't know how to explain it to her either. When she questioned some of the things he corrected, it made him question his own language as well because sometimes he just said things because he had learned them but in all reality it truly didn't make sense sometimes.

Isabella eyes widened when she saw the milkshakes that the waiter was carrying. They were huge vanilla milkshakes. Both Isabella and Tony's mouths started to water the milkshake looked very appetizing. When the waitress noticed Isabella's expression she smiled, she placed the glass in front of Isabella first and then to the rest of them.

Once the waitress gave Isabella her glass, she took a sip, licking her lips of what was left over. "Yummy!" she said.

"It tastes good. I take it." Ziva said, still not having taken a sip of her milkshake. Isabella nodded vigorously. "Well then," Ziva replied taking a sip of the milkshake to try it herself. She took a sip and it was the best milkshake she had ever tasted.

"Did you like it?" Tony asked Ziva.

"It is delicious, yes. One of the best I have ever tasted." Ziva replied with a smile taking another sip of her milkshake.

"Good," Tony replied and then his attention was taken from Isabella who was asking him what they were going to do that weekend.

"How are you feeling?" Ziva asked taking advantage that Isabella was distracted to speak with Rachael.

"I'm better now that I know that I know he is locked up and can't find me." Rachael responded fidgeting with her hands as she spoke.

"Regardless you should not be alone for a while. It will help to stay with someone you trust." Ziva said.

"I'm not I spoke with my parents earlier. I am going to go stay with them for a while until I feel like I can live on my own again." Rachael responded. Although she knew that Jonathan was behind bars for now she still didn't want to live alone for a while. So she had decided to go stay with her parents for a while.

The food came preventing them from further conversation. They ate their food, talking about random things here and there, planning what they were going to do for Rachael's last two days in D.C, and arrangements for while Ziva stayed at Tony's place.

They were all having such a good time. For those moments the outside world didn't exist, work troubles, and their own troubles didn't exist. They were wrapped in their own little bubble, enjoying the time they were able to spend together. Forgetting about everything else. Enjoying each other's company.

Tony stared at the faces of the three woman he cared about they were all so happy, Isabella was smiling and gigging, Ziva as well. Finally everything seemed to be turning around them, they were finally happy. Tony only hoped that this happiness would last.

**Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to review, leave comments, let me know what you think, ideas, and suggestions, whatever you feel like. **


	19. The Return of Emma

**Chapter 19: The Return of Emma**

Sunday rolled around; Rachael was leaving to visit her parents for a while. They've had a fun filled weekend with sightseeing, shopping and trips to the park. Rachael now seemed a lot more relaxed and calm then she had when she first showed up. Tony was glad that he was able to help her out and he was able to spend some time with her especially since Kate had died. They finally had been able to have that conversation that was long overdue. They were able to work through issues that had been haunting her, also blaming Tony for Kate's death. But now she understood that it hadn't been his fault that she had been killed. It was part of the job, inevitable, and now they had to move on together.

Tony, Isabella, Ziva and Rachael arrived at the airport early that morning, Rachael's flight was leaving at ten in the morning, and Tony had not wanted Rachael to leave by train so he had insisted she fly to Ohio. She checked in very quickly and then the goodbyes came. Holding her bag in one hand Rachael wrapped her free one around Tony's neck to give him a hug. "Thank you, for everything. Especially for not turning me away when I needed your help." She stepped on her tiptoes and kissed Tony on the cheek.

Tony returned the hug and kiss. "There's no need to thank me. I would do anything for family." Rachael smiled; she was glad that Tony still saw them as family especially after everything that had happened.

She moved on to Isabella, crouching down so that she was eye level with the little girl. "Bye aunt Rach." Isabella hugged her aunt tightly, sad to see her go. "Will I see you soon?"

Rachael returned the hug giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Yes, I promise to come visit soon. But we can always skype or you can call me when you want to talk okay?"

Isabella nodded; she really wanted to see her aunt more. She rarely got to spend time with them because they lived so far away. Rachael gave her one last kiss and hug and then headed over to Ziva. She needed to sort some stuff out with her before she left. She stretched out her hand, not sure if a hug would be crossing some boundaries with Ziva. "Thank you for helping me even when I was being such a bitch to you. You just have to understand that I worry about them. I hope you can forgive me." Rachael had finally realized that Ziva was looking out for them. She was a true friend and was glad that Tony and Isabella had someone that looked out for them.

"I understand but you have nothing to worry about." Ziva reassured her. "Tony and I we are just friends." She told her a bit of disappointment in her voice.

Rachael went for it not caring that maybe Ziva would get mad but she gave her a hug anyways, whispering in her ear. "You'd be good for them." She told her a smile on her face to show Ziva that she was being sincere. Ziva returned the hug awkwardly, "Take care of them." Rachael told her before releasing the hug.

"I will." Ziva responded seriously. She was going to take care of them. She cared too much about them to let anything happen.

With one last hug to Tony and Isabella, she picked up her bag and headed to the security to stand in line and wait to go through. She waved her last goodbyes before heading though security and heading for her terminal.

They saw, waited to make sure that she went through without any trouble and then headed to the airport-parking garage to get started on their day. As they were making their way out of the elevator Tony cellphone began to ring, he pulled it out of his pocket, really hoping it wasn't whom he thought it was. "If this is Gibbs I'm going to be so pissed for ruining our plans." Thankfully when he checked his phone it wasn't Gibbs it was an unknown number. "Hello?"

"Hello, Tony?" A woman spoke shyly into the phone. Unsure of what she was doing calling him.

"Yes," Tony responded still not entirely sure on whom it was.

"This is Emma, Emma Collins. I don't know if you got my birthday card but I ugh would really like to see you and was wondering if we could meet for lunch." She knew that Tony probably wouldn't want to especially after everything she had done to him. But she really wanted to see him.

"I kind of already had some plans but how about we meet at my apartment lets say around four?" Tony didn't know why he had agreed to meet her. She had been the one to call off the engagement, the one to break his heart and she wanted to see him. That was a little messed up but Tony had agreed and maybe it was so that he could show her that he was way off better without her.

"That sounds good, thank you, I will see you later." She let out a breath of relief that Tony had agreed to meet her.

Tony hung up the phone, let out a breath and fumbled for his keys. "So we are going to have to cut the horse visit a little short. We are going to have some company over later."

"That is fine. I can go visit Abby for a while. I know she would like that." Ziva said. She didn't want to intrude on Tony's personal business and didn't want him to feel awkward of having her there while he had visitors over.

"You don't have to go. I was hoping that you would be there but I understand if you don't want to.'' Tony didn't want her to go but he couldn't quite beg her either.

"Okay, thank you." Ziva responded; glad that Tony had invited her to stay because she really didn't want to go with Abby but she had said it so Tony didn't feel obligated to ask her to stay.

"I uh have one favor to ask of you." Tony asked a bit nervously. He didn't know how she would react or how she would take it.

"Yes?" Ziva asked curious as to what it was that he was going to ask and she wondered why he was so nervous about it.

"The woman who is coming over she was my fiancé. She called it off and I haven't talked to her since. I don't know what she wants or what her intentions are. But would you pretend to be my girlfriend just in case?" He shuffled his feet, looking at them, too nervous to look at Ziva in the eyes. He didn't want Emma thinking that there was a chance that they would ever get back together.

"Do you think that this is the best way to go about it?" she was unsure if pretending to be in a relationship with Tony would be the best choice.

"Yes, I do. I just don't want her trying anything." Tony said seriously.

Ziva could see it in his eyes he didn't want to deal with explaining his relationship with Kate and not giving her reason to think that there was any hope of them getting back together. "If you think it will help then I will do it."

"Thank you," they made their way through the parking garage trying to find the car. It took them a few minutes but they finally did. They got in their car and drove off towards the Ranch. Last night they had been watching a movie about a family who raised horses and Isabella had wanted to go see them. Ziva had also shared interest and told them about how when she was little she would ride the Arabian horses her uncle bred. So, Tony had gone online and done some research about horse ranches and had found a place not too far out of D.C. He hoped that Ziva and Isabella would enjoy it especially since Ziva had agreed to pretend to be his girlfriend. Tony pulled into the parking lot of the ranch. Isabella was jumping up and down in the back seat excited to see the horses. Tony turned around looking seriously at Isabella. "We don't have time to take a ride today but we can walk around the stables and whatever else they allow us in there, okay?"

Isabella frowned but she understood. "Will we come back?" she didn't mind that they couldn't ride today but she hoped that they would be able to come back to get to ride.

"Yes of course and I promise we will spend the entire day here." Isabella nodded.

They exited the car and headed to the office to pay and sign in as they opened the door the bell on the top of the door signaled to the worker they had walked in. "Good afternoon." The older woman greeted.

"Good afternoon." Tony and Ziva greeted back.

"Are you interested in trail riding today?" She asked sweetly, sending a kind smile to Isabella.

"I'm afraid not today. We were just hoping to visit the horses." Tony informed the woman in charge.

"Certainly, are any of you experienced with horses or will you be needing a guide?" The woman asked.

Tony turned to look at Ziva, wondering if the knowledge she had would be enough or if they would need a guide. "I have experience with horses. I do not think we will need a guide."

The woman nodded, getting their ticket ready. She gave them their total, Tony paid, she then gave them a map of the ranch, explaining what each locations was and a general overview of how to get to the locations. They thanked the woman and were on their way.

They followed the instructions the kind old women had given them and found themselves in the horses stable easily enough. "Daddy! Daddy! Look at them they are so beautiful." Isabella exclaimed as she ran over to the first stable. It contained the most beautiful white horses she had ever seen. It was tall, elegant and properly kept. Tony followed behind Isabella, as Ziva stopped by the supplies to grab a couple of brushes so that they could comb the horse's mane.

Ziva stopped them before they went into the stable. "Before we go in, there are a few rules we need to cover, first no sudden movements, we need to speak softly and most importantly do not stand behind the horse." Both Tony and Isabella nodded that they understood. With their confirmation she handed them each a brush.

Tony opened the door and Isabella stood frozen. She was scared when she realized the massive size of the horses. Ziva walked straight in and stood by the horse's face, running her hand up and down the length of its nose. She spoke gently to her. "Hello Georgia," she moved to the side, brushing her coat. Tony pulled Isabella in, once he saw how gentle the horse was, but Isabella wouldn't budge.

"No daddy, I scared." She said stepping back from the horse, but never removing her eyes from the massive thing.

Tony sent Ziva a confused glance. Just moments before she had been excited to see the horses but now she didn't want to go in. "They are very gentle animals, pumpkin. You'll be fine." Isabella shook her head and stood in her spot. Tony walked into the stable and to the other side from where Ziva stood. He began to brush the horse gently. "See they don't do anything."

Isabella still shook her head no. Ziva walked towards her. "Come tateleh I will help you, yes?" Isabella was still a bit hesitant but she still went. Ziva stood behind Isabella, whose back was pressed against her back. Ziva handed Isabella a brush and then took her hand to guide her. After a while she seemed to relax and Ziva released her hold on Isabella's hand, going over to Tony. "I am going to go with another horse. Isabella seems to be enjoying the horse now."

"Okay," Tony responded as he continued to run his hand along the horse's chest.

Ziva walked out and continued to walk through the stables observing the horses intently. She stopped when she noticed that in one particular stable there was a smaller horse, it looked sad and hid from people, away from the opening. Ziva walked up to the door and stopped. She couldn't walk in; she had to do it gently, alerting the horse that she was there. "Shalom," the horses named, sally, turned and looked up shyly but did not approach her. "I will not hurt you." She opened the door gently, walking up, holding her hands out in front of her so Sally would not be spooked. When the horse did not back up Ziva took it as a welcoming. She placed her hand on her nose and rubbed it gently. Easing her way to gain her trust. Ziva began to speak in her native tongue with Sally, calming the horse, gaining her trust. "You are very beautiful. Can I tell you a secret?" she whispered to her. The horse looked up towards her and she took it as her signal to continue. "I think I might be starting to like Tony. Do not look at me like that." She continued to rub her nose gently. "I know that I should not have these feelings for him. But I cannot help it. I just wish he would like me back. It would make everything easier but now I must get rid of my feelings for him before either of us ends up getting hurt." She continued to run her hand through the side of Sally. She let out a soft neigh as Ziva let out a sigh. "I know love stinks." Ziva added. "But we will get through this."

Ziva was too wrapped up with Sally and expressing how she felt that she hadn't noticed Tony and Isabella approach Sally's stable. "What is it that we will get through?" Tony asked, only having heard that last part of the conversation.

Startled Ziva dropped her hand from Sally and turned around to look at Tony. "Oh I was just telling Sally about the company that we have coming over later and how we will get through this." Ziva made up of on the spot. Technically she wasn't completely lying because they would be able to get through that as well.

Tony could see that something was off, he could read her eyes perfectly, but he decided not to push the issue and just go with what she had said. "Well glad that you both agree." He sent her a smile and Ziva turned her gaze back to the horse.

"Did you finish with Georgia?" Ziva asked wondering how much time she had spent here.

"Yeah we even managed a quick pony ride so that Isabella didn't leave without riding at all." Tony looked at his watch, they had just enough time to get back to the apartment and start on something before Emma came over. "You ready to go or do you want some more time?"

"Oh wow, I did not even realize that I had been in here for this long. I am sorry. If I would have realized I would have come to look for you sooner." Ziva was surprised at how much time had passed.

"Don't worry. This trip wasn't just for Isabella. It was also for you, I noticed how much you missed the horses when you were telling us about your uncle. I just thought the both of you could benefit from this trip." Tony gave her a sincere smile as he walked out of the stable so that she could follow him.

She whispered her goodbyes to Sally, "shalom, sally you are a very good listener," and walked out of the stable closing the door behind her. "Thank you Tony for doing this, I really needed to be around them once again. It reminded me of home." She gave him a weak smile. It was grateful yet full of longing for the familiarity of home of how things used to be with her family. Not how they were now. Tony returned the smile. "Did Isabella enjoy her pony ride?"

"She did. She's very excited to come back and ride on an actual horse. Which means I will have to bring her." Tony chuckled, another thing that his daughter was starting to resemble Ziva in.

"Well if you do not mind I think I would like to join you." Ziva said shyly. She didn't know why sometimes she found it so hard to speak to Tony but she did.

"Of course I don't mind." Tony gave her his DiNozzo smile. She just blushed and turned to look at Isabella who was busy feeding a carrot to one of the many horses.

"Good," she responded. Realizing the time, Tony allowed Isabella to finish feeding the horse, and then all three headed back to the main office to sign out and then made their way back to Tony's apartment so that they could whip up something quickly for Emma.

When they got back to the apartment Tony sent Isabella to her room to play while he and Ziva tried to tackle dinner. "So, what do you have to make?" Ziva asked already digging through the pantry.

"I have stuff to make spaghetti and that is pretty quick to make." Tony suggested. Spaghetti was his favorite food and therefore always had the ingredients to make it.

"Of course you do." Ziva laughed, looking through the pantry for the stuff they would need to make it. Tony just glared at her, with a fake hurt facial expression.

Ziva just finishing up the dinner and salad when there was a knock on the door. Tony tensed; he wasn't ready for this. She walked over to him, placing her hand between his shoulder blades. "It will all be okay. Just take a deep breath and go answer the door."

Tony relaxed a bit, with a bit more confidence he headed to the front door. He took a deep breath to settle his nerves and opened the door. There stood Emma, she hadn't changed a bit, but in front of her stood a young girl. Quickly Tony began to do math in his head, trying to see if the child was his. But it couldn't be he and Emma had broken up the engagement almost nine years ago. "Hey," It was all that he could manage at the moment.

"Hi," Emma replied awkwardly. They stood there in awkward silence until Emma spoke up. "Can we come in?" She asked wondering if Tony was going to let them in.

Tony broken from his trance opened the door a bit more, moving over to allow them both in to the apartment leading them into the living room. "This is a nice apartment." Emma commented, unsure what to say as Tony wasn't saying much.

"Thank you, would you like anything to drink?" Tony asked hoping to get an excuse to head into the kitchen and bring Ziva with him.

"Some water would be nice." The little girl pulled on her mom's pants whispering into her ear. "And some apple juice if you have any." She added.

Tony nodded. "Yeah no problem make yourselves comfortable." He told them heading to the kitchen to go get their drinks and get Ziva to come join them.

Ziva noticed how nervous Tony looked as he fumbled around in the fridge for some water and apple juice. "Tony it cannot be that bad." She replied; laughing a bit on how nervous he looked.

"I was fine until I opened the door and saw her with a little girl. She can't be mine can she?" he asked her. He knew it was nearly impossible. She was too young for it to be possible. "I mean she has to be no older than eight and Emma and I broke up almost ten years ago. It's not possible. But just seeing her with the little girl is making me nervous. I don't know what to say. I need you out there Ziva." He was practically begging at this point.

Ziva let out another chuckle. He had never seen Tony this nervous before and she had to admit that it was quite funny to watch. "Take a breath first, finishing getting the drinks, and we will go back out to the living room together. Just try to calm down before going out there."

Tony did as Ziva had said and moments later they were now heading back to the living room before Emma began to get suspicious of why he was gone so long. He handed them their drinks as they thanked him. "Emma this is Ziva. Ziva this is Emma."

Both women stretched their hands so that they could shake them. "Nice to meet you." Ziva told her.

"Likewise," Emma replied.

Ziva looked over to the little girl who was sitting nervously next to her mom. "Who is this adorable girl?" Ziva asked. She had not once been introduced and Ziva hoped to ease into the subject to help clarify Tony's fear.

Emma wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders looking down at her and smiling then back up to them. "This is Elizabeth." Emma said. "She's a bit shy."

"Isabella is in her room coloring or playing with her dolls if you would like to go play. I can take you." Ziva suggested noticing how bored the girl looked but also wanting to give Tony and Emma some time to sort some things out in private.

The girl looked up at her mom asking for permission to go play. She was less nervous around kids than she was with adults. Her mother gave her a reassuring smile and then nodded. "Yes, go have some fun. Come get me if you need anything okay." The girl nodded and then headed to join Ziva who would take her to the other little girl. Not a single word was spoken as they made their way down the hall towards Isabella's room. The girl was very shy and never liked to be around adults.

Meanwhile back in the living room Tony sat awkwardly staring at the window trying to think of a way to bring up the question that was running through his mind and dreading what the answer to the question would be. "So uh how old is Elizabeth?" Tony asked thinking an age confirmation would be the best place to start.

"She just turned six. So you can take that look of dread off your face now because as you've figured out she's not yours." She answered bitterly.

Tony did just that. He released the breath he had been holding and his whole body seemed to relax. "Oh," He answered going back to stare out the window as he thought of what he was going to say next. "So, why are you here then? I haven't heard from you since you broke of the engagement and then I get a card from you on my birthday and then today a phone call. What are you up to?"

Emma sighed; she very well deserved that question. She had just out of the blue felt like she needed to contact Tony and make things right. Work out some things that she was feeling. "Ever since I got a divorce a couple of months ago I have been doing some soul searching and in part of that is trying up lose ends making amends. I contacted you because I feel like the way we left things wasn't closure and I feel like I owed you an explanation. Apologize for what I did." Tony stared at her urging her to continue. He didn't have anything to say to her. "I did love you very much. But I wasn't ready to get married. We were too young, we were just kids Tony. I didn't want to give up my life yet. But I guess I didn't go about telling you what I wanted currently because after I told you, you were gone. I tried contracting but you always avoided my calls. I am really sorry for everything." She looked down unable to meet Tony in the eyes. She knew that what she had done was wrong but she was hoping that Tony would be able to forgive her.

"That is because I didn't want to speak with you. You broke my heart, sent me into a depression. I thought I had found true love with you, I thought my life had been over that I would never find the woman of dreams. But thanks to our break up I found that one woman. With her I knew what love really is and I have you to thank for that." Tony needed to know that he wouldn't take her back that they cant pick things up were they had left them. Especially now that he knew that she was divorced.

"I'm not going to say that didn't hurt but I guess I deserved it. I just don't want there to be any tension between us and be friends like we were in the beginning." She looked up towards Tony whom was now staring down the hallway wondering when Ziva would walk out of his daughter's room.

Tony was conflicted he didn't know whether to accept her offer. He didn't blame her or hold resentment for what she did because after all it had lead him to Kate even if it had been for a couple of years. It had been the best years of his life. "I think I can manage that." Tony nodded emphasizing his point.

Emma smiled glad that they had been able to work this entire out, get past of all of the hurt and hate that had accumulated over the years. They sat in blissful quiet until it had gotten uncomfortable but thankfully for them Ziva and the girls had walked out of the room and into the living room. Isabella ran into the living room jumping onto her father's lap. "Hi sweetheart," he greeted as he let out a humph.

"Daddy, Ziva said we could only eat when you are ready. Are you ready? Cause I hungry." She rubbed her stomach for emphasizes.

Tony laughed, as he picked his daughter up and placed her on the floor. He turned her towards Emma, ruffling up her hair. "Emma this is my daughter, Isabella."

Emma smiled, "Hi its nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you." She said. Isabella looked up to her dad. "We can go eat now?"

Tony looked over to Ziva for confirmation that the food was ready. She nodded heading to the kitchen so that she could place everything on the table. "Yeah, we can." He led everyone into the dining room so that they could eat the wonderful meal that Ziva had prepared.

Dinner was filled with mindless conversation, mainly catching up on both their parts. The girls commenting here and there about their favorite things, Ziva telling stories about the funny things that Tony did at work. They had also commented on Ziva's amazing cooking skills.

After they had finished up and everyone including the girls had pitched in to help clean up they wandered over to the living room where Tony had suggested they watch a movie. Much to Tony's dismay the girls outnumbered him and they had choose to watch no reservations.

He made several bowls of popcorn for everyone, some smoothies and they kind of all found a spot on around the TV. The girls sprawled out on the floor, Emma on the end of the couch and Ziva whose head had found Tony's shoulder by the middle of the movie, lay into him. Tony had smiled when her head had made contact and instead of commenting on it he just placed his arm around her shoulders and let it rest on her side. As he looked around the room to see everyone so content, he finally realized that his life didn't have to be so lonely just because Kate had died. He was allowed to live his life move on and it didn't have to mean that he had forgotten about her or loved her any less. It just meant that he was able to have friends meet knew people. Of course he would always remember her. She was the mother of his daughter, his first true love, his wife, soul mate and partner. Kate would always hold a special place in his heart. Now he was finally coming to the conclusion that he did need to have a life and agreeing to be friends with Emma was the first step towards his knew life.

**Thanks for all the reviews. Hope you liked the chapter. I wasn't really content with it. Well don't forget to review, leave suggestions, comments, whatever floats your boat. Also I am no longer ahead with chapters so updates will be once a week unless I manage to write two chapters a week. But that would take a miracle. So until I am able to get ahead updates will be weekly. I am so sorry but college is a pain. Enough of my rambling don't forget to review. **


	20. The Halloween Party

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS**

**Chapter 20: The Halloween Party**

October was slowly coming to an end; Ziva was still staying at Tony's, as her apartment was still not ready. Abby, who used to always take Isabella once a month for an entire weekend but that had sort of stopped after Kate died, was starting to miss her Isabella and Abby time. But now that Tony seemed better she figured that it was time to start that up again. So, this weekend Isabella was spending it with Abby, leaving Tony and Ziva alone in the apartment with nothing to do. "So you want to watch a movie or something?" Tony came out of the kitchen carrying Ziva's cup of tea and carefully handing it too, as it was extremely hot, steam rising from it.

She took the cup of tea from him, blowing on the steaming liquid to cool it down a bit before taking a sip. "Thank you, it is just the way I like it." She too another sip wrapping both her hands around the warm mug.

"So how about that movie?" he asked again as she had not answered his original question.

Taking one last sip, she placed the mug on the coffee table and turned to look at him. He looked nervous, yet hopeful that she would want to spend the day with him. Over the last two weeks they had been living together their relationship was growing, getting stronger and closer; sometimes the friend boundaries where blurred a bit. "I would prefer to take a walk." She noticed his demeanor go from hopeful to disappointed. He turned towards the window so that Ziva could not see the disappointment in his eyes but she had. "Would you like to join me?"

"Sure, let me just go throw on a sweatshirt." There was pep to his step as he got off the couch and headed to his bedroom to grab his OSU sweatshirt. Ziva just chuckled, shaking her head into her hands. Ziva finished up her cup of tea as she waited for Tony to get out of the bedroom. Moments later he did and they walked out of the apartment and towards the park around the corner from his apartment.

"Aunt Abby, can I get this doll?" Isabella called as she was in a whole other aisle by herself looking at the Barbie dolls. Abby had picked up Isabella bright and early Saturday morning wanting to take advantage of the entire day. They had gone to breakfast and now they were at the mall doing some shopping that she was sure she didn't get from either her father or Ziva, seeing as they both hated going shopping.

"Sure, I already told you whichever you want is fine with me." Abby walked over to the aisle that Isabella had screamed from, walking up to her and standing by all the Barbie toy line.

"Thank you aunt Abby!" Isabella squealed as she clutched to the ballerina Barbie box, running over to her aunt to give her what she called Abby hugs.

"Anytime," Abby returned her signature hug. "Now lets go pay for this and then what do you want to do? We have the whole day." She took Isabella's hand both skipping over to the register.

Isabella seemed to contemplate that for a moment. She loved spending time with her aunt Abby because she would let her do things that her mommy and daddy normally didn't. She knew she had to choose wisely. It had to be something she really wanted that her dad wouldn't allow her to do on a regular basis. "Can we go get some ice cream?"

Abby nodded vigorously. "That sounds like a brilliant idea." They made there way to the counter, waiting in line so that they could pay for the Barbie doll and then head to look for an ice cream place in this very large shopping center.

"Thank you aunt Abby I am having a really great time." Isabella squealed as they finish paying for the Barbie doll and made their way on a quest for some dessert; her Abby like ponytails bobbing back and forth as she took a step.

"Anytime, I am happy to hang out with my favorite niece."

"Awe aunt Abby I am your only niece." Isabella hit Abby playfully on her leg, as Abby was way too tall for her to hit anywhere else. Abby scooped her up, throwing her on her shoulders as Isabella let out a small squeal, both of surprise and excitement. They continued to make their way through the shopping center keeping their eyes open to any place that looked appealing but there didn't seem to be much. The only place that they had past was a frozen yogurt place and way too eager to eat Isabella settled for it.

Once in Abby let Isabella down, running straight to the cups and getting hers, running to the machines to fill hers up but unfortunately she was too short to reach the handle. Abby slower to get her cup walked over to her goofy nice with a grin. Isabella was propped up on her tiptoes, tongue sticking out, reaching for the handle. "Do you need some help little one?" Isabella nodded, coming back down to and handing Abby her cup. "Is this the one you want?" once again Isabella nodded. Abby was very generous in the servings and once she finished with both they moved over to the toppings. Isabella had said she wanted the squishy, gooey balls, and some gummy bears.

Abby paid for the yogurt and they walked over to the tables, Isabella going ahead to pick one that appeased her. Once Abby made it over she was already in a chair, fit dangling, spoon in hand ready to eat. "Here you go Bella." Abby handed her the yogurt and immediately took a spoonful. "You like it?" Isabella nodded; already feeling a brain freeze starting to form.

"Can I try some of yours aunt Abby?" Abby nodded, taking a small spoonful and handing it to Isabella. She took a bite, licking her lips at how delicious it tasted. "Mmmmh this is really good." They sat quietly, each enjoying every spoonful of their yogurt, until Isabella became serious and looked up at Abby. "Aunt Abby, I ask you a question?"

"Anything, you know you can talk with me." She tried to act calm but inside she was worried at what the question might be. She knew how little kids' minds work, they didn't have filters, and they just said whatever came to mind.

The little girl looked straight up at her aunt, the seriousness of the situation evident in her eyes. But her voice told another story of how sad she was and how much she missed her mother. "Will mommy be sad that I wish Ziva lived with us forever?"

Abby didn't know what to say. She didn't want to say the wrong thing and then have Tony mad at her. But she knew she couldn't evade the question, she needed to answer her or she would think that what she had asked wasn't to be spoken of. She tried to think of the best way to go about this. "I don't think your mom would be sad. I just think that she will not want you to forget her." Isabella seemed to like that answer and Abby let out a breath of relief.

Tony and Ziva continued to walk along the park trail in a comfortable silence, taking the beautiful day, the wonderful breeze. They walked by couples and families enjoying the park, Ziva smiled melancholy seeing the things she would never have and Tony smiling bitter sweetly at what he once had but never would again. They continued to walk in complete silence, each stealing glances of the other when they weren't watching. Their hands lingered at their sides sometimes accidentally hitting the other and leaving it there longer than necessary, each wishing they could just take the other's hand in theirs. Tony was about to go for it, take her hand and it seemed that she was going to let him but the moment was interrupted by Ziva's phone ringing. She reluctantly moved her hand from her side pulling her phone out of her pocket. "David," she answered with a bit of annoyance to her tone. All Tony heard was shrieking and mumbling from the other end. He couldn't make out individual words. "Okay I will try. Am I able to bring someone?" Tony raised an eyebrow at the last thing Ziva had asked. "Yes, I will see you later." Ziva hung up her phone and continued to walk, Tony just kept glaring at her wondering if she was going to tell him what the phone call had been about.

Since she had not said anything Tony decided it best not to pressure her and so continued to walk beside her, the moment of holding her hand long gone. "So, uh" Ziva finally spoke after a while of walking in absolute silence. "My neighbor called she is having a Halloween party and wanted me to go but I do not feel like going alone." She took a breath, avoiding Tony's gaze, instead focusing on the children playing on the monkey bars. "Would you like to come with me?"

"Of course but there's only one problem." Ziva scrunched her eyebrows not quite comprehending what that problem was. "We don't have any costumes."

"She did say it was mandatory costumes. But we will not be able to find something in less than an hour. I say we do not dress up." Ziva shrugged her shoulders. She really didn't want to dress up so she tried to convince Tony that there was no point to it.

He stopped, gabbed Ziva by the shoulders and gently shook her. "Are you crazy? That's the best part dressing up. But you are right we won't be able to find anything good that quickly." They now walked back in the direction of Tony's apartment so that they could get ready for the party. "We can always go as very special agent DiNozzo and very gorgeous officer David." Tony winked at her and she blushed. "Knowing how private you are I would assume that your neighbors don't know what you work in." She shook her head. How well he knew her she thought. "Well then we can just wear our badges, carry our ID's to pretend to arrest people, and wear our NCIS jackets and maybe the hats and call it a costume. I mean most people don't know what NCIS is so they will think its made up anyways." At this Tony rolled his eyes, the whole team always got slightly offended when people didn't know what NCIS was and worst of all those who did called them navy cops.

"Okay," Ziva liked that idea because then she didn't have to actually wear a costume. She could just pretend that she was going to work. Except that she wasn't, she was going to a Halloween party and with Tony.

"Aunt Abby what are we having for dinner?" Isabella called out from the living room where she was playing with the doll that she had gotten earlier that day. After the ice cream shop they had continued to do a little shopping and then somehow they had wondered into the movie theater to watch cloudy with a chance of meatballs 2. Isabella had not yet seen it and had begged her aunt to let her go see it because her dad hadn't had time yet. She had given in seeing as she couldn't say no to her only niece, bought a large tub of popcorn and two caf-pows.

Now back at the apartment Abby had set Isabella up in the living room, turned on cartoons, and she had started to play with her doll while she went to her kitchen to start on dinner. "We are having dinosaur nuggets and mac and cheese." Abby called out as she placed some nuggets on a plate. Isabella licked her lips and rubbed her stomach in much enthusiasm. That was her favorite besides spaghetti of course. But since Ziva had stayed with them she cooked healthy meals and as much as she appreciated a change from spaghetti and take out she missed her mother's cooking. Ziva's wasn't bad, it was delicious in fact but it wasn't the same as the way her mom used to cook. "Why don't you go wash your hands and then come sit down to eat?" Isabella darted from her spot to the bathroom in Abby's bedroom eager to eat.

When she returned, she jumped into a sit next to Abby and started immediately on a nugget burning herself in the process. "Careful they are still hot." Abby warned her but it had already been too late. "Be careful," she repeated as Isabella was going to take another bit from her nuggets. But this time she blew on her nugget before taking another bite, smothering it in ketchup.

They continued to have dinner, taking them forever to finish because Isabella kept talking about random things she would do at daycare and about her trip to see the horses. Abby listened attentively fascinated at how much the little girl could talk. But they finished up dinner and then headed to the living room to watch Isabella's favorite movie, The Little Mermaid. They both put on their matching onesy PJs, hugging there stuffed animals, snuggled up under the blankets watching the movie. During the movie Isabella started to get a bit sleepy and before she fell asleep during the movie, which she knew she would, she asked Abby for a favor. "Aunt Abby, can I call daddy and Ziva to tell them good night?"

Abby grabbed her phone from the side table, paused the movie and dialed Tony's number. "Of course," she told her as she waited for Tony to answer the phone. "Hello Tony, I have a very special girl that would like to speak with you. Okay." Abby, handed Isabella the phone and she took it immediately.

"Hi, daddy." Isabella spoke into the phone enthusiastically.

"Hey, princess!" Tony screamed into the phone trying to be heard over the loud music that was blaring in the background. "You having a good time with your aunt Abby?" Tony put a finger into his ear so he could hear better, he pointed towards the hall to let Ziva know that he was heading out to continue the call.

Isabella nodded, although her father could not see her. "Yeah, we did a lot of fun stuff and aunt Abby got me a new Barbie." She bragged to her dad.

"Did you tell your Abby thank you?" He rolled his eyes. He and recently Ziva already spoiled his daughter; he didn't need Abby adding to that obsession.

"I did daddy." Once again she nodded her head but her father could not see it. "I miss you daddy."

Tony let out a smile. It was times like these when he was very grateful to have a daughter as wonderful as his. He wouldn't trade her for anything in the world. "I do too but we will see each other tomorrow morning." He looked down at his watch noticing it was late and way past the munchkins bedtime. "You should be getting to bed. It's late and we have some stuff planned for tomorrow."

"Are we going to go buy my costume?" She asked with excitement. She couldn't wait until she was able to go buy her costume she had been planning with Ziva.

"Yes and aunt Abby is going to drop you off bright and early so get some rest. Good night I love you."

"Good night daddy." Isabella replied missing her usual bedtime routine. "Can I wish Ziva a good night?" Tony smiled; his daughter never forgot about Ziva and that for some reason made his heart flutter.

"Yes, give me one second." He was going to walk back into the apartment but when he opened the door Ziva was already coming out. He placed his hand over the receiver. "Isabella wants to wish you a good night." Ziva's eyebrows furrowed, but she held out her hand anyways so that Tony could hand her his cellphone.

"Shalom, tateleh." Ziva spoke in the tender and maternal voice she reserved for Isabella. Tony loved this side of Ziva. How when she was with Isabella or spoke with her she transformed. She allowed her ninja mossad walls to come down and show who she truly was behind the assassin façade. "I missed our reading time tonight." Tony was going to head back inside, not wanting to intrude on their moment but he was just so intrigued and captured by the relationship his daughter and Ziva had established that he couldn't tear himself to leave the hallway.

"I had a good time. Aunt Abby is the best." She sent her aunt Abby a smile but then whispered into the phone so Abby couldn't hear. "But I would have had more fun if you would have been there." Of course a four year olds whisper was a regular voice so Abby heard what she had said and frowned.

"That is very sweet but you needed some time with your aunt Abby." Hearing a yawn come from the other line, Ziva chuckled, she knew the little girl must have been tired it was why past her bedtime and she was probably coming off a sugar rush. "You are tired little one. I think it is time for you to go to bed." Ziva tried to make a stern yet tender voice but Tony didn't miss the smile that crept on her lips as she said it.

"I am but I need to say good night to you first." Isabella said in a distressed voice afraid that she wouldn't get a chance to say good night before Ziva hung up the call.

"Layla tov, tateleh. I will see you tomorrow." They were going shopping for Isabella's Halloween costume so that she could wear it for Halloween and the parade that her daycare was going to hold.

"Layla tov, Ziva." Isabella handed Abby the phone back thinking it had been hung up. "My daddy and Ziva love spending time together." Isabella told Abby straining emphasis on the love part.

Ziva chuckled, rolling her eyes at Abby's squeal of enthusiasm, hanging up the phone and handing it back to Tony. He desperately wanted to comment on how much he loved when she allowed her vulnerability to show but he didn't want to voice this out loud afraid that she would inflict some sort of torture on him.

They walked back into the party, to which everyone had commented and said that they looked like real cops or detectives. Both Tony and Ziva just smirked if they only knew he thought. They went back to the far corner, where it was a bit more silent isolated from the rest of the party. Tony was no longer used to this environment, the late partying, the loud music, and endless of amounts of girls sending oogley eyes at him. He had grown, matured. Of course, he didn't completely oppose to the idea of partying, once in a while was fine, but if he was honest with himself he had rather been at his apartment, bowls of popcorn, Isabella, Ziva and a good movie to watch. That night sounded much more appeasing than the one he was at now. Of course Ziva's presence made it much better but it was too loud to talk so they just stood there, Ziva bopping to the music, and shouting one thing or another once in awhile. The occasional turning down of dance offers but that was it.

Tired of just standing around Tony grabbed Ziva's drink from her hand and placed both drinks to the side, still holding on to her wrist. "Care to dance?" Tony pointed towards the center of the apartment where everyone was gathered around dancing. Currently was a salsa dance and Tony didn't know how to but he wouldn't miss an opportunity for Ziva to show off her amazing dancing skills.

Ziva followed him, weaving through the people to try and find a nice spot to dance in. "Follow my lead." Ziva told Tony as she noticed him hesitate on how to go about it. It only took a couple of stepping of toes and two songs for Tony to get it but he had gotten the hang of it. When the next song came on Tony had gained enough courage to take the lead now. "Are you sure?" Ziva asked laughing a bit at Tony's foolishness. He was a quick learner and not a half bad dancer.

Tony was in the moment, feeling the music through his body; out of nowhere he twirls Ziva a couple of times, sending her away from him but bringing her back to him with a thud in his arms. They stayed like that for a moment; both breathing heavily, their hearts pounding Tony then surprised her by dipping her and bringing her back up, continuing to dance like he had danced for years. They continued dancing for a little while longer, until both were danced out, heading back to the corner where they had been earlier. "Want to get out of here. Go get some coffee or tea?" He added remembering that she wasn't much of a coffee person.

Ziva nodded furrowing her brows as to why he would choose a quiet coffee shop over this party. But she didn't mind if she was being honest with herself and allowed to show who she really was she preferred that to the parties. "That is a great idea." They walked out of the crowded, noisy apartment Ziva letting her hair out of the perfectly slicked bun, her black curls bouncing freely just below her shoulder.

"Your hair it uh," Ziva turned to look at Tony, glaring at him, daring him to make a joke about how it looks like a French poodle or something else similar. That glare made Tony more nervous about telling her but he concluded that complimenting her was worth the risk. "It looks better down." He looked down the hallway, already squinting his eyes and flinching at what was to come but the pain never came and confused turned to look at Ziva.

She stared straight, blushing at what Tony had said. "Toda," Ziva replied trying to hide all the nervousness from her voice. It was times like these that she was glared that she had all that mossad training.

Tony drove in the general direction of home, he already knew of the perfect little café they would enjoy very much. It was a couple of block from his apartment, small, quiet, and most importantly felt homey. He drove up the street looking for parking much to his surprise, this part of the neighborhood was very busy for a Saturday night, and normally it was on Friday's when it was this crowded to where he would have to park almost three streets away and by the looks of it, seemed like it was the cause for today. Nevertheless Tony parked, they got out of the car leaving their NCIS gear in the car but to Ziva's dismay it was a bit chilly, and being from the desert she got cold easily; not really wanting to wear her NCIS jacket she decided to tough it out. But Tony saw the shivers escape her body and how occasionally she would rub her arms up and down her arms, the gentleman that he was he told her to wait where they were a moment and ran quickly back to the car to get his gym hoodie he kept in his trunk running back quickly to Ziva. He handed her the hoodie throwing her a small smile. She took it returning the smile but furrowing her brows. "You seemed cold." He shrugged his shoulders like it was no bid deal.

She placed the hoodie over her shirt, automatically heating up. She couldn't help but notice that it smelled like him and boy did she love the way he smelled. "Thank you," she smiled gratefully. Tony nodded and they continued walking towards the coffee shop. When he was sure that she wasn't looking he glanced over, stealing a quick look. He sure loved to see her with his clothes and really wished that it could become a permanent thing. Of course it was big on her but she wearing his clothes just seemed to fit her, like it was a normal thing for them to do and Tony could only hope that someday it would be.

When they walked in to the coffee shop they went straight for the counter to place their order. Ziva went for some hot black tea and Tony feeling adventurous and not afraid to try new things ordered the same. Ziva gave him a funny look. "What? I like to try new things." He simply replied pulling out his wallet and handing the young teenage girl a twenty-dollar bill. The girl handed him back his change but he waved her off. "Keep the change," he told her. The girl surprised by the generous tip sent him a grateful smile.

"Thank you for the tea." Ziva raised up her cup, both hands wrapped around it in an attempt to warm up her hands.

"No problem," Tony took a sip of his tea, with no regards of how hot it might actually be, burning his tongue and throat in the process, he almost spit it all back in.

Ziva laughed at the whole process. "Be careful Tony it is very hot." She joked with him, blowing on her own tea before taking another sip.

"I realize that Ziva." He frowned at her trying to wipe up the tea he had managed to spit onto his shirt. Ziva stared attentively at him the entire time. After he had finished, going through about a dozen napkins, he got up from the table going to throw away the pile of napkins and came back with a chessboard. "How about some chess?"

"You did not strike me as the chess type." She told him utterly surprised that he knew how to play chess.

"What can I say? I am a man of many talents." He shrugged his shoulder, placing the board on the table and setting up the pieces to begin the game of chess. To his surprise Tony had won the first game, and another game followed suite, Ziva declaring a rematch. She didn't like to lose and especially not to Tony DiNozzo. Many games followed after that, filled with many cups of tea, pastries, and stories of Ziva's childhood, ones of Tony, well the only ones he felt he could share, and even memories of him and Kate, and of when they had Isabella. Both Tony and Ziva were quite enjoying themselves, glad to be able to have stress free nights after a stressful week of work. If this is what it looked like living with Tony DiNozzo, Ziva really hoped that her apartment would not be fixed anytime soon. This was way better than going home to an empty apartment. But unfortunately for Ziva she was following harder and harder for Tony DiNozzo each day and living together, even temporarily, didn't make things any easier. She just hoped that maybe one day in the near future he would feel the same way about her.

Tony stared at Ziva, the way she glowed when she was relaxed, laughing, having a good time. He really enjoyed nights like these. They always lifted his spirits after long days at work. He only wished that her apartment would take forever to be fixed because if he was honest with himself he loved having her around. She brought them all together, brought the joy back into their life and for that he would be forever grateful. He couldn't see a future where Ziva wasn't in it and he had gotten so used to having her there that he didn't want her going back couldn't imagine her not being there. But he knew that he needed to rid himself of those feelings because the Ziva he knew wasn't the type to start a relationship with a guy like him. She wouldn't ever like him or would even consider him. But he still had that spark of hope that maybe one day in the near future she would feel the same way about him.

**Thank you all for your reviews, favorites and follows. I have been trying to reply to each and every one of you. It really means a lot that you guys take the time to leave a review. But please keep doing it! Well anyways sorry for the long wait, honestly this week and next have and will be torture. But that's what I get for wanting to pursue a career in the medical field. Oh well :/ hope you enjoyed this chapter as much I enjoyed writing the last scene. We are moving along in the relationship. Hope you guys don't think that I am moving too fast. Let me know what you think, if you have any suggestions, or whatever you feel like. Thanks and hope you guys enjoy your weekend.**

**-Ximena**


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